Shifting Instincts
by amethyst-jt
Summary: Alpha Seth Rollins is badly injured and dying in the forest and another shifter, Roman Reigns saves his life. As a thank you he invites Roman to join his pack but Roman has a surprising secret, a secret that could threaten his peaceful new pack.
1. Chapter 1

Seth couldn't see or hear anything and all he could smell was the metallic scent of his own blood pooling on the forest floor around him. The bear had wounded him greatly and there was a really good chance he was going to die out here all alone. He didn't know how he had managed to miss the huge bear but he had somehow wandered right into it's path, he had barely had time to shift into his wolf form before the bear had taken a swipe at him with his huge deadly paw. The fight had been fast but Seth had taken a lot of damage before managing to wound the bear enough for it to go loping off farther into the woods and now Seth was lying on his back with his side torn open and bleeding heavily. He could feel himself getting weaker as the blood poured out of him and he couldn't shift back into his wolf form. Shifters could heal themselves if they were able to shift and run but Seth was so weak and drained that he couldn't manage the change. His last conscious thoughts were of his parents and how sad he was that he wouldn't be able to see them again when he felt himself falling into blackness.

* * *

Seth felt cold as he regained consciousness, but he was too tired to even try opening his eyes. He could only smell trace amounts of blood now and he could smell the forest again but he could also smell two distinct wolf scents, one of an alpha and the other, an omega. He could feel the hardness of the ground beneath him but he could also feel that he was naked and covered in a warm blanket.

"I know you're awake little alpha." A deep male voice greeted him. "You need to shift."

"'m not little." he mumbled, trying to move.

The deep voice laughed softly. "I know but I'm bigger and I don't know your name so that's all I can call you. Now shift and run with me."

Seth heard the tell-tale sounds of the man shifting forms and he opened his eyes and looked around. When he finally saw the other alpha he had already finished the change and there was a huge beautiful black wolf staring at him with mesmerizing silver eyes. The wolf leaned over Seth's face and licked his cheek and the surprise of it kicked his body into action and he slowly started to shift. Being back in his wolf form he felt better but he was still weak and he got to his feet with trembling legs like a newborn pup standing for the first time. The black wolf stood at his side and gently steadied him until he was fully standing.

He started walking slowly, the pain in his side making him want to just fall down but he could feel the encouragement of the black wolf behind him and he started to trot. The more he moved, the more he healed and he was finally able to run and the black wolf stayed beside or behind him watching over him. As he picked up speed he could feel his broken ribs knitting together and the deep gashes and gouges starting to heal. He felt less and less like falling and he could run freely now.

He glanced at the black wolf next to him and smiled like only a wolf can, by letting his tongue hang out of his mouth in a goofy way and the other wolf did the same. They ran until he felt he was totally healed and he finally stopped and shifted back to human. He kneeled on the ground, bracing his body up on his arms as the exhaustion took him over. Running could heal, but it didn't put all the blood he had lost back in his body so he was still weak. He wanted to look around for the black wolf but before he could raise his head he saw a pair of large human feet standing in front of him.

Seth raised his head slowly and looked at the formerly black wolf-turned alpha standing in front of him. His legs were long, muscular and smooth leading up to a very large and tempting cock (which Seth looked at for a few seconds longer than he should have), a thick, defined abdomen and a large, muscular chest and arms, one of which had a long tattoo running down. When Seth's eyes finally made it all the way up to his face, he had to fight back a gasp. The alpha was so beautiful, his smooth tan skin stretching over a chiseled face that wasn't harshly masculine or femininely pretty but a fine mixture of the two with a sexy dusting of facial hair. His grey eyes were what drew Seth's attention the most though, so bright and kind, framed by the alpha's long black hair. The alpha was huge and Seth understood why he had called him 'little alpha'.

Seth tried to get to his feet but dizziness was creeping up on him and the last thing he felt before he fell was the alpha's big strong arms catching him.

* * *

 ** _*Well that's the beginning of a new story. I hope you all are not tired of shifters yet!_**


	2. Chapter 2

When Seth regained consciousness this time, he was laying in a soft bed with a blanket over him. He could faintly smell the alpha and omegas scents in the room but the only sounds he heard was of a fire crackling. He slowly peeled his eyes open and looked around. He was laying in a simple wooden bed in what looked like a cabin, though really that was too generous, it was more like a shack. But the shack was clean and warm and had a cozy feeling like the person that lived here took good care of it. He could smell something delicious cooking on the fire but he heard footsteps outside the shack before he could investigate further. The alpha opened the door and walked in carrying a huge stack of firewood in his muscular arms.

The alpha was dressed now and that only reminded Seth that he wasn't. Shifters weren't shy about their bodies but something about the large alpha made Seth feel more aware of his body. The alpha placed the firewood in a box near the fireplace and turned around to look at Seth with a smile on his face.

"I'm glad you're awake, little alpha." the man said. "You were starting to worry me."

Seth's heart started beating faster and he didn't know why. "Stop calling me 'little alpha', my name is Seth."

The man smiled bigger. "I'm Roman, and I wouldn't have called you that again if you had told me your name before passing out."

He huffed but knew that Roman was right. Roman went over to a cooler and brought out a cup and passed it to him. He looked into the cup and saw that it was full of water. He moved to sit up so he could drink and Roman put his arm around Seth's back and helped him up. Seth tried not to shiver as Roman's fingers touched his bare skin so he concentrated on fixing the falling blanket firmly around his waist so he wouldn't expose himself to the stranger.

He settled back against the headboard with the pillows against his back and slowly sipped the cool water. Roman turned to the cupboard in the room and brought out a bowl and spoon before going over to a large pot over the fire and pouring something brown and thick into the bowl.

"Here, eat this." Roman said as he walked over with the bowl and gave it to Seth. "It's deer stew, it should help you get your strength back."

"Thanks." Seth said, using the blanket to hold the bowl so he wouldn't burn his hands or chest. The stew looked great and his stomach rumbled at the smell. He dipped the spoon in the stew and blew on it before putting it to his lips and tasting it. His eyes widened in surprise. "This is delicious!"

Roman smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, I made it myself."

Seth wondered why the alpha was doing the cooking and not the omega that he still hadn't seen but he was too hungry to care that much as he greedily ate the soup. He wasn't kidding about how good it was, his own mother couldn't cook like this nor any other person in his pack. Roman watched him for a while before pouring his own bowl and sitting at the creaky, old table to eat.

When he finished his bowl, he debated on asking for another one but didn't want to impose more than he already had so he put his bowl down on the bedside table and picked up the cup of water and drank that instead. Roman heard the bowl being set down and he got up and wordlessly refilled the bowl and brought it back.

"Thanks." Seth said gratefully. "I didn't want to be rude and ask for more."

"Nonsense." Roman said looking at him like he was not right in the head. "You need to get your strength back so I don't have to carry you around everywhere."

Seth groaned and blushed. "Sorry about that."

Roman smiled. "It's okay. I don't get to carry pretty wolves around that often."

Seth looked down and fought off another blush. It almost felt like Roman was flirting with him but that wasn't right. Male alpha's didn't mate with other male alphas, they mated with females or male omegas so they could produce pups and besides, alpha's rarely got along.

He grabbed the new bowl of soup and Roman went back to his at the table and Seth got lost in his thoughts. Seth had never even been attracted to another alpha before but there was no denying that he was attracted to Roman, even just looking at him made his cock twitch and that should not be happening. No alpha would ever allow another man to take him and Seth had never even thought about someone doing that to him before and he wasn't interested in that at all. This was just silly. Roman had saved him so that was the only reason he was having confusing feelings for him.

* * *

The stew worked and Seth was feeling like his old self in no time. He wanted to get out of Roman's bed but he was naked and shy so he was going to have to ask Roman if he could borrow something to wear.

"Hey Roman, do you have anything I can borrow to wear?" he asked nervously hoping Roman wouldn't guess why he wanted clothes.

"Oh. I forgot." Roman said as he washed the dishes. He wiped his hands and went over to the front of the bed and pulled out Seth's backpack. "I grabbed this but I had to throw out the clothes you were wearing, they were shredded from shifting and covered in blood."

Seth shuddered, thinking about how close he had come to death by bear. "Thanks for bringing my bag and you know, saving my life."

"You're welcome." Roman smiled at him. "If you're up to it, we can go for a swim and you can wash the rest of that blood off. The river is pretty warm this time of day."

Seth looked down at himself and saw dried blood sticking to his chest hair and on his injured side and grimaced. "Let's go for it."

Roman quickly dried the last dish and grabbed some towels before leading Seth out and down a small path to a small, slow-moving river. When they got to the river bank, Roman stripped out of his clothes and Seth got a view of the back of him. His shoulders were so broad and muscular and his butt was amazing but Seth didn't gawk, he looked away quickly and told his stupid brain to stop ogling another alpha. Even though Roman had been nice so far, he still could end up kicking Seth's ass for something like that.

He dropped his bag on the grass and followed Roman's lead and walked into the river, it was deeper than it looked and the water was warm just like Roman said it would be. He scrubbed the dried blood off himself making sure not to look Roman's way too often and dunked his head underwater to try and take some of the tangles in his hair out. Roman was doing the same a few feet away and damn if he didn't look even better when he was wet. Seth mentally shook himself and turned away from Roman until he was done cleaning. He and Roman walked back to the riverbank and grabbed towels and started drying themselves before getting dressed.

Seth was finally feeling better dressed in his own clothes for the first time since the bear attack and he sat down on the dry grass and relaxed while Roman sat near him.

"So, where were you going before you got hurt?" Roman asked.

Seth leaned back with his arms wrapped around his legs. "I was visiting an old pack member. Even though he doesn't live with us anymore, we try to take care of him and visit 3 or 4 times a year."

Roman looked surprised. "He doesn't live with you and you still take care of him?"

"Yeah." Seth said looking out over the river. "His mate died a few years ago and he fell into a bad depression. He wants to be alone but we still take care of him. I was dropped off at his place with a huge load of food, blankets, baking, fresh meat, clothes and anything else you can imagine. He appreciates it but he still can't bring himself to come home to us."

"Wow." Roman said. "My old pack would have cut all ties with him, but our leader was pretty ruthless and harsh."

"Sorry about that." Seth said listening. "I guess that's why you're here now."

"Yeah." Roman said with a hint of sadness. "You were saying?"

"Oh right," Seth said continuing the story. "I like to hike back home or run in my wolf form as a little relaxation and me time. Well I was too lost in my thoughts and walked right into a damn bear, I just managed to shift and fight him off and you know the rest."

"So basically you're telling me that you are Little Red Riding Hood bringing food to your Granny." Roman teased. "Does that make me the Big Bad Wolf?"

Seth laughed. "Technically the bear was the Big Bad Wolf and you are the wood cutter that comes to my rescue."

* * *

They talked until the sun went down before they walked back to the shack. As Seth sat by the warm fireplace he realized that he still hadn't met Roman's omega even though the omega smell was even more potent now than it had been before they left. He ignored the little flash of jealousy he felt when he thought about Roman having a mate, but it was strange that he hadn't met the omega yet. Roman was sitting across the room at the table reading a book so it was as good a time as any to ask.

"Roman, where's your omega?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. "Why haven't we met yet?"

Roman looked up from his book with a look that said he had been expecting the question and sighed. "I don't have an omega, I live alone."

Seth looked puzzled. "Don't lie, I can clearly smell an omega. You don't have to worry about me trying anything, I won't touch your omega."

"There's no omega!" Roman said as he stood up and banged his hands on the table making the table wobble dangerously. "I'm alone!"


	3. Chapter 3

Seth cowered back a little in shock that the formerly kind alpha was yelling suddenly but he didn't really know what to do. He knew that Roman was lying, alphas, betas and omegas all smelled differently and he could distinctly smell the sweet scent of an omega, in fact now that he couldn't smell his own blood on his skin, he could smell it even more. He got up from his chair and started slowly walking around the shack sniffing the air and the smell seemed to get more potent the closer he got to Roman.

Roman got up from the table and started trying to make his way to the door but Seth stepped in front of him and blocked his escape. This was the first time he had been so close to Roman, at least while he was conscious and he noticed that Roman smelled... strange. He backed Roman up against the wall and Roman arched his head back, exposing his throat in a submissive move that no alpha would show to another alpha. He grabbed Roman's head to hold him in place and pushed his face into Roman's neck and sniffed.

Seth's eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the deliciously enticing scent of Roman. He smelled like an alpha, but also like an omega. He smelled of fresh pine needles and something sweet like fruit or... coconut and Seth couldn't get enough. He ran his nose gently up Roman's neck to behind his ear and he struggled not to moan as the alluring smell made him want to absolutely ravage Roman right here, right now. He let go and took a step back to look at Roman and saw that he was looking away and he looked embarrassed and sad.

Despite the fact that Seth's inner wolf was screaming at him to claim Roman, Seth walked back to his chair by the fireplace and sank down. He didn't know of a polite way to ask so he to just decided to get it over with. "What are you?"

Roman sighed and sat down on the end of the bed and rubbed his forehead wearily. "I'm both alpha and omega."

Seth blinked in confusion. "How is that possible?"

"It's a rare genetic thing called Chimerism." Roman said quietly. "From what my parents told me, they did some research after I was born and found out that I was supposed to have been born with a twin, but our cells fused into one and I absorbed the omega traits of my twin. It's complex and rare but it does happen to both humans and animals. That's why my pack threw me out, I'm a Chimera-a freak."

Seth looked at Roman and he looked so sad and defeated and it made Seth sad. Roman was such a good guy and he had to live all alone which was hard for wolves used to living in a pack.

He walked over to the bed and sat next to Roman and put his arm around him. "I'm sorry your pack made you feel like that. You're not a freak, in fact I think you're a pretty great guy and I owe you my life."

Roman looked at him with a small smile. "Thanks. Sorry I didn't tell you but most wolves are disgusted when they find out, or angry."

"Your pack really kicked you out?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. They let me stay until I was 18 but when it became obvious that no one would mate with me and that I wouldn't be producing any strong pups to add to the pack, it was either leave or be killed." Roman said clenching his fist. "Our leader only allows the strongest wolves to remain in the pack, and he considers my omega tendencies to be too much of a burden on the pack."

"Your leader sounds like a real asshole." Seth said wishing he could have just 5 minutes alone with the wolf.

Roman smiled. "Maybe."

Seth didn't want to bring up bad memories but he really wanted to know more about Roman's life since then. "Have you lived here ever since?"

"No." Roman said, knocking Seth's arm off and scooching back on the bed to sit against the wall. "I moved around a lot in the first few years, got a job in a random town for a few years and tried to make friends but it's hard to be friends with humans."

Seth had scooched back with Roman and was sitting next to him again, this time keeping his arm to himself. "You must have been so lonely."

"Yeah, it's been lonely but now that I'm here I have a good life." Roman said with obviously fake good humor. "I can hunt, fish, run as much as I like, and I have a nice little garden to tend to and a home where no one ridicules me. I'm happy."

Seth could tell that Roman wasn't happy but was just making the best out of a bad situation but didn't say anything. "This is a nice place."

"Thanks." Roman whispered. "It's the only place that's ever felt like a home to me."

* * *

Roman reheated the stew from lunch and they ate before going to sleep. Roman wanted to give Seth the bed but Seth wouldn't take it and insisted that he would be fine on the floor by the fireplace since he had been planning on camping outside in the first place. Roman reluctantly agreed and went to his own bed. Seth was more than comfortable on the floor but he still couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Roman and the lonely life he was living. The Chimera thing didn't bother him but he knew that his attraction to Roman could never be anything more, two male alphas just didn't mate but they could be friends and he wanted to make life better for Roman. He had a plan but he wasn't sure that he would be able to talk Roman into agreeing to it.

* * *

They woke up bright and early the next morning and Roman made breakfast for them. Seth decided to talk to Roman about his plan after breakfast, Roman was washing the dishes and Seth was packing his backpack. "Roman, I was thinking last night and I want you to come home with me."

Roman tensed up and looked over at Seth. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sure that my pack would accept you and you wouldn't be alone anymore." Seth said confidently. "We have lots of space and if you wanted to live by yourself, we have the room and I'm sure everyone would be good to you."

"I don't think so Seth but thanks for offering. It means a lot." Roman said, turning back to the sink.

"Just come back with me and talk to our leader, if he accepts you then the rest will too." Seth said walking to Roman and putting his hand on Roman's shoulder. "He's a good man and there's no harm in just talking."

"I'll think about it." Roman mumbled.

"You could just pack a few things and if everything goes well, I'll come back with you and bring all your stuff back." Seth said, stepping back over to his backpack. "I'll even call the leader and have him meet us somewhere private so you won't have to worry about an ambush or something."

"Okay, okay, if it will shut you up." Roman said, but there was no anger or malice in his voice.

"Great!" Seth said in triumph. "I promise you won't regret this."

* * *

 _ ***Fun fact: Chimerism is a real thing that can happen to humans. Hope you like the slight twist of Roman being the omega instead of Seth. I thought it would be a good way to show the differences in our Roman from being so big and manly but at the same time, sweet and gentle.**_

 _ **Sorry about the late update, I've been snowed in with no internet.**_


	4. Chapter 4

They set out shortly after Roman packed a bag and closed up his shack. They walked through the forest side by side for a few hours with polite conversation about the weather, their favorite games, fishing and the life of a shifter. When it was time for lunch, they stopped at a little clearing and sat down in the grass to eat the food Roman had packed for them.

They walked for another hour when Roman started to talk. "Tell me what it's like in your pack."

Seth smiled, happy that Roman was curious. "We live in a small village named Moone Valley, that was started by our original alpha, my great-grandfather. He was raised in a very traditional pack that scorned anything modern and was slowly dying out. When he left the pack, he went to a human city and went to school eventually graduating with a business degree. He met my great-grandmother and wanted to raise his family in a quieter place. The city was hard for him to live in and he longed for a small community to raise his family. He had worked hard in the city and had a head for money which he invested as much as he could. He wasn't rich but he was very well off."

"Your great-grandfather was very brave, I lived in a large city for a while and I hated it." Roman said keeping pace with Seth. "It's so suffocating because you can't just shift and run."

Seth nodded and continued the story. "He researched some land and built a general store with a house attached on the highway leading to a lake humans liked to vacation at and it became a hit. Humans came to the store but so did other shifters, shifters that didn't have a pack and wanted to socialize with the nice wolf couple. My great-grandfather was a very smart man and when he noticed how many lone shifters there were, he organized a meeting and asked if they would be interested in forming a new pack, one that embraced the modern age as well as upheld old shifter values."

"I'm guessing that it was a popular idea?" Roman asked.

"You could say that." Seth said with a smile. "Many of the wolves had lived in cities and had skills that would be wasted in a old-fashioned pack and after some planning every one combined their resources and took over a tiny, rundown village and changed the name. They did everything legally of course and started building shelters and a community meeting hall. What started out as a tiny village of 25 flourished and prospered and became a community of about 100."

"100?" Roman asked in awe. "That's incredible."

"Yeah, it's pretty great." Seth said with pride. "There's a town about 30 minutes away and all the children go to school there and some shifters have jobs there."

"I don't know if I should be impressed or intimidated." Roman confessed. "Your current alpha must be very... capable."

"Well I think so." Seth said reassuringly. "But I am biased since he's my father."

"Your father?" Roman asked in surprise. "Why didn't you say so earlier? He'll never accept me now."

"Why not?" Seth asked confused. "Nothing has changed."

"He's your father." Roman said again. "He's going to think that I'm some calculating omega that wants to steal his precious son away and pollute the gene pool of the entire pack."

"Don't be so dramatic." Seth said trying not to laugh. "My father is a good man and a good alpha. I'm sure he'll accept you as long as you pull your weight within the pack like the rest of us."

Roman grunted. "You'll see I'm right."

Seth just shook his head. He could understand that Roman was scared but he didn't know what to do to reassure him. He wanted to hold his hand but that would be inappropriate. Alpha's didn't do that.

They continued on in silence until they were close enough for Seth's cell phone to work and he called his father and asked to meet near the Levine farm. Roman was so nervous that it was even making Seth nervous so he decided to talk more about Moone Valley.

"You're gonna love it with us." Seth said soothingly. "We have a restaurant, bar, general store and a community garden. There's good hunting and a lake for fishing and there are a lot of farms nearby where we can get other meats, eggs, milk and cheese. We're on good terms with the human farmers and we will never go on their land and hurt their animals. We also have fruit bearing trees and we're building a greenhouse at the alpha house so we can have fresh vegetables in the winter."

Roman smiled a nervous smile. "You don't have to try and sell it so hard, I already agreed to go."

Seth chuckled. "Sorry but I think that we could be a new home—a new family for you. I think you could be happy with us."

"With 'us' or with you?" Roman asked.

Seth didn't know what to say as his heart started beating faster, but he was saved from replying when he saw his father driving towards them in his red truck.

* * *

Seth left Roman at the edge of the trees and went to talk to his father alone first. He walked up to the truck hoping he could convince his father to accept Roman into the pack. He had seen the longing in Roman while he was talking about the pack and no matter what he wanted Roman to belong to his pack. He couldn't stand the thought of Roman going back to that little shack all alone for the rest of his life, he wanted to give him a home.

Seth opened the truck door and climbed up to sit next to his father. His father was still young for a wolf, only 47 but he was powerful and muscular with strong features and his hair buzzed down low and many people found him intimidating except for Seth. This was the big strong man that had bounced him on his knee as a baby, soothed him after his mother died, stayed up nights when he was sick and taught him everything he knew about being a good man and he was sure he would accept Roman.

"So, why did you call me out here and does it have anything to do with that big man trying to hide behind a tree?" Hunter asked, curious.

"That man back there is named Roman and he saved my life." Seth said quietly. "I was almost killed by a bear and he got me to shift and nursed me back to health."

Hunter listened and pulled Seth into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Seth said smiling at his father. "Roman lives alone in the middle of nowhere and he doesn't have a pack. I want him to join our pack as a reward for saving me."

"That's risky." Hunter said rubbing his hand over the scruff on his face. "We don't know anything about him or even why he doesn't have a pack."

"I know why he ran away from his pack and that's why I wanted to talk to you alone." Seth said nervously, surprised at his father's reluctance to take Roman in. "Roman was kicked out of his pack because he is a Chimera—he's an alpha and an omega."

Hunter looked back out the window and stared at Roman. "He's a Chimera? I never heard of that happening to a shifter before."

Seth was surprised. "You know what that is?"

"Yeah, I've seen it on TV. He's an omega?" Hunter asked shaking his head. "He's so big."

"He's strong, smart and has many skills." Seth said trying to convince his father of Roman's worth to the pack. "I know he would be an asset to the pack, he just wants to belong."

"Do you really think everyone would accept him?" Hunter asked.

"Why wouldn't they?" Seth asked, trying to control his temper. "If you accept him, everyone else will."

Hunter sighed. "I have to meet him before I make any decisions."

"I know." Seth said. "That's why he's waiting for us."

Hunter opened the door and Seth followed. As they started walking in Roman's direction, Roman walked towards them and they met in the middle of the clearing.

Hunter sniffed the air and stuck his hand out. "I'm Hunter."

"I'm Roman." Roman grabbed the hand and shook it firmly.

"So you want to join our pack?" Hunter asked but made it sound like a statement.

"Yes, sir." Roman said, shoulders back. "If you'll have me."

"What can you offer our pack?" Hunter asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I can hunt, fish, cut wood, tend gardens, cook, and do anything else you ask of me." Roman said confidently. "I don't drink or fight so I won't cause trouble and if you're worried about me taking one of the pack for myself, you don't have to. You'll find my... disorder drives most wolves away so I won't be mating."

"I'm not worried about that." Hunter said. "If you find a mate in the pack, I'll support it."

"Does that mean he can join?" Seth asked hopefully.

Hunter sighed. "Yes, but he has to live at the alpha house for a month just like any other newbies."

"I know." Seth said before hugging Hunter hard. "Thank you so much Dad!"

"Thank you sir." Roman said. "I promise that I will be a valuable member of your pack."

"I'm sure you will." Hunter said as he turned to walk back to the truck.

Seth grabbed Roman in a happy hug almost crushing their bodies together. Roman's scent surrounded him and he felt so happy and excited. For the next month, Roman was theirs.


	5. Chapter 5

Roman and Seth sat in the truck box as they rode towards Moone Valley. Roman was so nervous about being around so many wolves but he was trying to look confident. He wanted this to work out so badly because he had lied to Seth about how lonely he was, how much he craved being around other shifters but at the same time he was terrified of being rejected. He had been completely stunned when Seth had accepted him without even a second thought and actually wanted him to join his pack. For an alpha, Seth was really nice and pretty, but it was the nice that counted. When Seth was sniffing to find the omega smell, Roman had been scared of what Seth might do but when he had put his face in his neck and took a deep smell Roman had shuddered and wished Seth would come even closer.

He needed to stop thinking of Seth as anything other than a friend. Even before Roman knew that Seth was the leader's son he knew that there was no chance of being with him, betas and omegas were confused by him but alphas were disgusted by him, besides omegas were small and pretty not big and awkward. When he had hit puberty, he noticed that he was growing bigger than most omegas and he had done everything possible to try and stop growing but nothing he did, not even starving himself had been able to stop his growth. Now that he was fully grown he was 6'3 and bulging with ugly muscles, ensuring that he would never be able to attract the attention of an alpha to mate with.

He looked over at Seth and Seth smiled a happy grin showing off the small gap between his teeth and Roman smiled back. Seth was so cute and handsome with his strange long brown and yellow hair that matched his wolf form perfectly, his body wasn't too thick but he was heavily muscled and defined, he was hairy too, much more so than Roman thanks to his omega side and his handsome face was home to two of the deepest brown eyes Roman had ever seen. He tried to be a good friend and not think of other more personal areas of Seth's body but they were perfect too and filled Roman with painful longing for something he knew he could never have.

He sighed and looked at the trees as they drove past and Seth must have sensed his nervousness because he reached over and squeezed his hand and Roman just closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch. His wolf was wagging it's tail in contentment, happy being with shifters again. He saw the sign for Moone Valley and knew they were close to what could possibly be his new home and he squeezed Seth's hand with worry.

Seth leaned over. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

Roman nodded back and released Seth's hand. He couldn't keep relying on Seth because chances are that he would be back in his little shack alone before the trial month was over.

As they slowed to drive into the village he looked around. The first building they came to looked to be a small general store, the next was two stories and looked like the restaurant and bar Seth had mentioned. People on Seth's side were waving at him and he was waving back but the people on Roman's side were just gawking and he wanted to hide. He felt like a freak being paraded in front of all the normal people.

There were houses along the road and he could see quite a lot more closer to the forest and they were mostly all modern and not too old fashioned. He looked over and saw a large building made out of logs that looked like it had been standing forever and he guessed that it was the original meeting hall that Seth's great-grandfather built. The most impressive thing to Roman was the huge communal garden that was filled almost to capacity with plants both large and small. He could see people tending to the garden, watering and weeding and he really wanted to go there and see how everything was set up.

They drove a few minutes more before they turned off the road and drove down a long driveway to a big, tall house nestled in the trees. No one was outside but he did see the greenhouse Seth had talked about and it looked nearly complete. Hunter drove up to the house and let them off by the entrance.

Roman grabbed his backpack and Seth grabbed his and led the way into the house. The house was simple but tastefully decorated and Seth led the way to a sitting room near the entrance.

"Have a seat." Seth said gesturing to the sofa. "I'm sure my dad wants to introduce you to my mom and maybe some others."

Roman walked over and sat down gingerly on the sofa, he placed his backpack down on the hardwood floor out of the way and tried not to show how nervous he was, no matter his genetics he was an alpha and had to present himself in a confident manner.

Seth sighed and sat down on the sofa. "Don't be nervous. You have my dad's acceptance and believe me that was the hardest part."

"Thanks." Roman said looking at Seth. "I don't know why I'm so nervous. Maybe I just don't want to let you down."

"You haven't. You couldn't." Seth said quietly, patting Roman's thigh. "Just be yourself."

Roman looked down at Seth's hand on his thigh and swallowed. He wished he didn't want Seth so much. Why couldn't they have just been friends? Seth would never want someone like him and he had wanted Seth since he had first opened his pretty eyes and looked at him.

Footsteps sounded from the doorway and Roman straightened up and tried to look more confident than he really was. Hunter walked in followed by a pretty woman with long brown hair and intelligent eyes, an older dignified woman with white hair, a large muscular mean looking alpha and a smaller beta with close-cropped hair and full sleeve tattoos. Everyone took seats around the room with the two women sitting on the love seat. They all settled themselves and looked at Roman, making him feel like he was about to face a firing squad.

Seth took it upon himself to make introductions. "This is Roman. He wants to join our pack and he has my full support." Seth said gesturing to Roman. "Roman, this my mother Stephanie, she's a beta and my grandmother, Linda an omega."

Roman bowed his head slightly as was expected at formal meetings. "Pleased to meet you."

Seth gestured to the other men. "These are my father's lieutenants, Dave," Seth said indicating the mean looking guy with his arms crossed over his massive chest. "And Randy." He indicated to the smaller, tough looking beta that slightly nodded his head.

Roman bowed his head again and waited for the alpha to speak.

"I've accepted Roman for membership in the pack." Hunter said. "This meeting is to go over your trial period here at the house. You live here with us for one month, you interact with the rest of the pack and you do various chores and activities so we can decide how best you can contribute. Everyone has to pull their own weight."

Roman nodded.

"If we have no complaints at the end of the month, we will have a ceremony officially welcoming you to the pack." Stephanie continued. "You will then choose a place to live and this pack will be your family from now on."

Roman's heart sped up at the thought of being part of a pack—a family again and he fought to keep his composure.

"We're aware of what you are and that other wolves have given you problems about it but our pack is kind for the most part and if you make the effort to get to know everyone, I'm sure you won't have any problems with that here." Stephanie said with a kind look on her face.

Hunter nodded. "You may have to show some patience though. You may have to explain what you are to some on your first meetings, but I don't foresee any real problems."

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I've been alone for many years and longed to be in a pack again." Roman said before clearing his throat. "I promise to do my best to be a welcome member of the pack."

"That's all we ask." Hunter said, getting out of his chair. "I think this meeting can be concluded now. Seth, please show Roman his room and we'll see you all at dinner."

* * *

Seth led the way upstairs and Roman followed behind him. "The elder pack members live downstairs and my parents and I live upstairs." he explained. "Their rooms are on the right and mine and the guest rooms are on the left."

"Why do you live away from your parents?" Roman asked curiously.

Seth sighed. "Because I don't really want to hear my parents going at it."

He heard Roman chuckle behind him and he was glad he was able to make Roman laugh and take away a bit of his nervousness.

He led Roman to his room and pointed out his own that was conveniently next to Romans. Seth opened Roman's door and looked around. The room was large and airy with big windows. Shifters didn't like to feel cooped up so large windows were pretty standard in all the houses as was wood and nature themes. Like the rest of the house, there were hardwood floors and the room itself was done in a light green color. There was a queen sized bed, end tables, a closet, dresser, desk and chair and a comfy high-backed arm chair. Seth really hoped Roman liked it.

Roman put his backpack down on the floor near the bed and sat down. "This is really nice." he said, bouncing on the mattress slightly.

Seth walked over and sat down on the bed next to him. "How are you doing?"

Roman sighed. "So far so good, but I'm nervous about meeting the rest of the pack. A part of me just wants to stay in this room and hang out with you forever, but I know I can't do that."

Seth closed his eyes. That plan sounded really good to him. He could think of a lot of things he could do with Roman in this room, most of them involving the bed they were now sitting on together.

"It's just... there's no getting used to it, you know?" Roman continued. "The ridicule, the looks, the whispers, the mocking, the hatred—it just makes me so ashamed and for something I have absolutely no control over. It hurts."

Seth put his arm around Roman's broad shoulders and put his head down on the one closest to him. "I'm sorry your old pack hurt you but I can't imagine that happening here. You tell me if any of that happens and I'll go out there and kick some ass, nobody hurts my friend." The word friend felt weird for him to say, he had almost slipped up and called Roman his mate. Hugging him like this had been an instinctive move to comfort Roman but he had failed to realize that being in such close proximity to Roman would have his senses going wild. Roman just smelled so damn good. "You know what, the tour can wait until after dinner. I have someplace I want to show you."

Roman looked at him and smiled and it took all of Seth's self-control not to lean over and kiss him. They got up and Seth lead the way down the steps and out the back door. He needed some fresh air to clean Roman's scent out of him before he went crazy.


	6. Chapter 6

Roman followed Seth out the door and into the adjacent forest. They walked for a minute or two until they came upon a small clearing with three big shady apple trees.

Seth threw his arms wide. "This is my special place." He turned around to face Roman with a big smile on his handsome face. "But I'm going to share it with you and only you."

Roman looked around at the small peaceful clearing and smiled. "You don't have to do that."

Seth sat down on the ground and leaned back against a tree. "I know I don't have to," he said, grinning. "I want to. No one comes out here except me and it's really peaceful. If things start to get overwhelming and you need someplace to chill out, you can come here, eat some apples and relax. That's what I do anyway."

Roman sat down on the ground next to Seth. "You're really great, you know that?"

"Nah, I'm just repaying you for saving my life." Seth said, putting his arms behind his head and relaxing. "I'm sure one of these days you'll see all of my bad sides."

Roman lay down in the soft grass and looked at the clouds slightly moving. "Outside of my family, you're the only other person that's treated me with kindness. Thank you."

Seth heard how Roman's voice broke and he was filled with sadness. He wished Roman had grown up in this pack, he would have been loved and cherished his whole life and the fact that he was thanking Seth for being nice to him, broke his heart a little. "You're welcome."

* * *

They relaxed in the clearing for a while before going back to the pack house for dinner. Roman was nervous but when they got to the table he saw that there were no strangers there. Hunter was at the head of the table and Stephanie was sitting on his right and Dave on his left. Linda sat next to Stephanie and Randy next to Dave. Seth took the seat next to his grandmother and Roman sat between Seth and Randy.

They started passing the food around the table and sharing stories about their day just like a family did and it made Roman sad that he had been missing out on family dinners since he left his family to live alone. He looked at Seth's animated face as he told everyone about his last few days and they both shuddered when he got to the part about the bear attack. Roman didn't remember what made him go walking in the direction of the attack, it was in a place he didn't often go to but he was grateful he had decided to go for a walk that day. Seth had been in worse condition than even he knew and if he hadn't been found when he was, he probably would have died.

"So Roman, tell us a little about yourself." Stephanie said.

Roman was uncomfortable with all the attention suddenly on him but he tried to bear with their curiosity. "Not much to tell really. I'm 27 and I've been living alone for a few years now in a little cabin in the woods. I lived in the city for a few years before that but I missed the freedom of the woods so I found a place far enough away from my old pack and far enough away from other pack lands."

"Did they really throw you out because you're..." Dave asked.

"Dave! That isn't any of our business." Hunter said sharply.

Roman saw Dave about to apologize. "No, it's okay I can talk about it. My alpha is a very hard and traditional man and only the strongest and most useful are tolerated. The old or infirm are offered a choice, leave the pack forever of their own free will or stay and be put to death so as not to be a burden on the pack."

Stephanie and Linda gasped and Hunter frowned.

Roman continued. "When I was 18 and it became clear that I couldn't attract a mate, one of the pack came to me and said that they weren't going to offer me the choice, they were planning on killing me on the next full moon. I packed my bags, kissed my mother goodbye and snuck away that very night, I never even told anyone that I was leaving in case it got back to our alpha."

Roman looked at everyone at the table and saw sympathy in their eyes and Seth put his hand on his and squeezed, quietly offering him his support.

"What pack are you from?" Hunter asked in a barely contained growl.

"The McMahon pack." he answered quickly.

Linda's fork clattered to the table and she grabbed Stephanie's hand and clutched it to her chest. Stephanie turned to her mother and tried to comfort her as Seth looked on in confusion. Hunter's face was a mask of rage and Roman was just as confused as Seth.

Stephanie hugged Linda and turned to face Roman. "I'm sorry about this but my mother and I are from that pack and hearing about it again was a shock for my mother."

"Yes, I'm sorry about my reaction." Linda said, leaning away from Stephanie's embrace. "I haven't been there since well, before you were born."

"Is Vince still the alpha?" Hunter asked, his face hard.

"Yes, do you know him?"

"Not personally and for his sake he should hope we never meet." Hunter said and he closed his fist tightly around his knife and it bent in half.

"Shane!" Linda cried. "What about Shane?"

"Shane is mated to a nice omega and they have a few sons." Roman said, wondering what was going on.

"Who's Shane?" Seth asked.

Tears started streaming from Linda's eyes. "My boy, my boy."

Stephanie started comforting her mother again while Hunter sighed. "I guess the story has to come out now."

All the men at the table leaned forward to hear what Hunter had to say.

"Linda isn't only from the McMahon pack, she was mated to the alpha, Vince." Hunter said.

Roman's mouth fell open in shock, he had always heard that Shane's mother was dead.

"Roman, you know my father's cruelty as well as anyone but that was to the pack, imagine how much worse it could have been for my mother." Stephanie said quietly.

"Yes." Linda said, pulling herself together. "Vince was a terrible mate, mean, controlling and abusive but it all got much worse once Shane was born. Vince wanted Shane to be just like him, but I tried to secretly teach him to be good even though I knew that it was hopeless and Vince would get his way in the end. Vince always got his way."

Linda paused for breath and everyone was listening to her sad story intently. "I held on for as long as I could but when I suspected that I was pregnant again I knew I had to leave. Vince always wanted more children, each and every one just like him but he had told me in the past that he would kill any daughters that I had. I was scared and I knew that I had to leave, I couldn't let that evil man have another one of my children. I knew that if I took Shane with me, Vince would track me down and kill me and my unborn baby so I had to fake my death."

Linda was close to hyperventilating and Stephanie leaned over and held her mother's hand. "You don't have to say anymore Mom, if it's too much for you."

Linda took a deep breath. "No, I want to talk, I want people to know everything. Faking my death was actually easy, I went out alone pretending I was gathering fruit from a tree and I brought out my claws and started slicing myself open everywhere so that I was bleeding heavily and I staged an animal attack. I made it look like the animal had dragged my body out into the woods and I just left. I was scared that my plan would fail and that Vince would come after me but he never did. I wandered alone for months until I stumbled upon this place just in time to give birth to my beloved Stephanie and we've been here ever since. My only regret is that I couldn't bring poor Shane with me."

"If it helps, the entire pack believes that you are dead and Shane isn't really like Vince." Roman said, hoping to give some comfort to the woman that had been through so much in her life.

"Really?" Linda asked with a sniffle. "Shane's not evil?"

"No, in fact he was the one that warned me that Vince was going to kill me. If it hadn't been for Shane, I would be dead right now." Roman said with a smile.

"So it's possible that when Vince dies, the pack might recover." Hunter said with a grim smile. "Just another reason to hope for his death."

"Uh, not really." Roman said, shaking his head. "Vince had another mate that bore him another son, Anderson Kennedy and he's just as bad as Vince. He will lead the pack when Vince is gone."

"His other mate," Linda asked. "Is it Trish? He always had an eye for her."

Roman nodded. "Yes, it's Trish and I think he abuses her too."

"I'm sure he does." Linda said sadly. "Poor little thing."

Linda and Stephanie excused themselves from the table and Roman helped Seth and Randy clean the table while Hunter and Dave talked.

Seth leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I think a trip to our special place is in order when we are done."

Roman nodded and continued filling the dishwasher. Everything he had heard was weighing heavily on him and he needed to be alone and unwind. Well Seth would be there but that was fine with him, he felt relaxed when he was with Seth, his alpha scent was very soothing.

Just as they were about to leave Hunter called Seth over to talk.

"Can you find your way there without me?" Seth asked.

Roman smiled. "Sure thing. Don't you know wolves have great night vision?"

Seth grinned back at him and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Wise-ass."

Roman grinned back and walked out the door and into the night.

* * *

"What's up Dad?" Seth asked.

"We're leaving for a village meeting in an hour and I would like you and Roman to stay at the pack house tonight." Hunter said typing furiously on his cell phone.

"There's a meeting tonight?" Seth asked in confusion. "Why can't I come?"

"Because the meeting is about Roman." Hunter said looking up from his phone at last. "I want to explain to everyone about his condition and tell them to treat him like anyone else."

Seth nodded eagerly. "Make them be nice to him and treat him well, he's a good person and he needs to be happy here."

Hunter sighed. "I can't make them do anything. I will explain about his condition and leave it to him to make friends."

"Fine." Seth pouted. He knew it was no use to try and talk sense to his father. The man was stubborn as an ox. He waved at his Dad and walked outside to his secret place eager to get back to Roman. Seth hoped that he wasn't regretting his decision to come here now that he knew of the connection between their packs which had blown Seth away as well. He never knew how his grandmother had suffered at the hands of a cruel alpha. If he ever met Vince he would make him pay for all the evil he had done to Roman and his grandmother.

He walked into the clearing and froze mid-step, he swallowed the gasp that fought to get out. Roman was lying on the ground with his arms folded behind his head and looking up at the stars. The moonlight was shining on him like a spotlight and Seth thought again how perfect Roman looked. The moonlight caressed his face, highlighting all the angles and his hair that was spread out on the grass around him, shined like a halo. His body was in a relaxed pose, but Seth was anything but relaxed as he saw Roman's shirt riding up his belly showing a hint of his hipbones and stomach. He cleared his suddenly dry throat and Roman turned to him and smiled. He smiled a little back and walked over and lay next to Roman, copying his pose. He looked up at the stars and tried to forget the angel that was lying next to him.


	7. Chapter 7

They stayed outside for an hour until Seth heard everyone leave for the meeting and he decided to give Roman a short tour of the pack house. Since most rooms were just guest rooms, the tour was over quickly and they ended up at Roman's bedroom.

"So do you like it here so far?" Seth asked hopefully.

Roman smiled. "Yes, so far. But everything depends on how the rest of the pack reacts to me."

"I know they're going to like you because I do." Seth said confidently. "You're kind, helpful, strong and pretty. What's not to like?"

"You think I'm pretty?" Roman asked with a smirk.

Seth rolled his eyes. "Don't fish for complements."

Roman chuckled.

Seth looked at Roman and he couldn't take it anymore. He threw his arms around Roman and hugged him tightly. He felt Roman's arms go around him in return and he smiled over Roman's shoulder. He ignored the way his heart started racing. Wolves craved touch so it was okay if he wanted to touch Roman, right?

Roman hugged him a little tighter and said, "Thank you for trying to give me a home. Whatever happens with the rest of the pack, I just need you to know how much this means to me."

Roman broke the hug and Seth looked at him. "Even if they don't accept you, I'll visit you so much you'll be sick of me."

"I doubt that could ever happen." Roman said quietly as he turned to go into his room.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door." Seth said walking the short distance to his own door. "Good night."

"Good night Seth." Roman said and his voice made Seth shiver as he closed his door.

Seth stood behind his closed door and thumped his head against it. It seemed that as long as Roman was going to be here, he was going to have to reacquaint himself with his own hand, probably every day.

* * *

Seth woke up the next morning to the most wonderful smell. He got out of bed and threw a t-shirt on with his sleep pants and went to investigate the delicious smell. He followed his nose to the kitchen and saw Roman wearing an apron and cooking up a storm.

"Morning sleepyhead." Roman said as he flipped a pancake effortlessly into the air. "I hope you like blueberry pancakes and bacon."

"God yes." Seth said as he shuffled over to the island and sat down on a bar stool. "Do you need any help?"

"Nope. You just sit there and look adorable." Roman said with a smirk.

Seth frowned. "I'm not adorable."

"Yes, you are little alpha." Roman said turning the bacon. "Just look at your fluffy hair and Batman pajama pants. You're just like a little boy."

It didn't happen often but Seth blushed deep red in embarrassment. Why didn't he remember to tie back his hair this morning? Why did he have to wear such childish pants? Roman must think he's ridiculous.

Strong arms wrapped around him from behind in a tight hug and he immediately felt better. "It's not a bad thing to be called cute or adorable Seth." Roman whispered in his ear.

Seth couldn't talk to save his life so he just nodded and he felt Roman end the hug. He was saved from anymore thoughts when everyone else in the house trickled into the kitchen following the unusual scent of delicious food.

* * *

Seth helped Roman load the dishwasher and went to get dressed for the morning taking extra care with his hair. He wasn't usually one to spend too much time worrying over his appearance but for some in-explainable reason, he wanted to look good today, but it wasn't for Roman, of course not they were just friends. He fussed with the few fuzzy strands that escaped his bun and sighed in frustration before giving up, no matter what he did, his hair never stayed smooth. He left his room and closed the door behind him just as Roman did the same. He looked over at Roman and saw that his hair was also in a bun, but unlike Seth's, it was smooth and shiny, not a hair out of place.

He couldn't help but notice that Roman was wearing black tank top that showed off those mouth-watering biceps and the long tattoo running down his arm. He was also wearing a pair of tight, dark-wash jeans that hugged his strong legs perfectly. How could he introduce Roman to the rest of the pack looking this sexy? He'd be lucky to bring Roman back tonight still un-mated.

"Ready to go big man?" He asked, trying hard not to stare.

Roman sighed and turned to Seth with a worried look on his face. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He put his arm through Roman's and walked him down the stairs and out the door. "Just be yourself, Roman. I promise that's all you need to do."

Roman was quiet as they walked into the village and Seth could see how tense he was.

It was morning and he could see some people tending the garden. Everyone took shifts in the communal garden and it looked like this would be a good time to start with the introductions. He lead Roman over to the beautiful dark skinned Naomi first.

"Hey, Naomi, can we talk to you for a minute?" Seth called out.

She brushed her hands off and walked over. "Hey Seth, come to show off our new pack member?"

"Naomi, this is Roman. He saved my life so be nice to him." Seth said seriously.

"I'm nice to everyone." Naomi said and with a smile she held her hand out for Roman to shake, which he did. "Hi, I'm Naomi. Welcome to the pack."

"I'm Roman, thanks for the welcome." Roman said shyly. "This garden is amazing."

"Yeah it is." She said looking around. "Everyone has to work here eventually and I'm sure you will too."

Roman nodded and Seth grabbed his hand. "We've got a lot more people to meet so we'll see you later."

"Bye, Roman. It was nice to meet you."

Roman waved while Seth dragged him away towards the only other two people in the garden. A tall man was watering the plants while a shorter one with wild hair was crouched down with a hand rake, muttering to himself and digging in the ground.

"Well, well, well, what do we have over here?" The crouched man said as he pulled what looked like potatoes out of the ground. "A couple 'taters. A couple 'taters."

"Hey guys." Seth said, getting their attention. "I want to introduce you to Roman our new pack member."

The tall man came over and stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Cass and this weirdo is my omega Enzo, nice to meet you."

Roman shook his hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you too."

Enzo pushed between them and looked up at Cass. "I don't appreciate you calling me a weirdo in front of the new guy Cass, what if he believes you."

Seth rolled his eyes and dragged Roman away from the bickering couple. "Don't worry about them, they argue but they really love each other, oh and Enzo really is a weirdo and a good guy too."

"Okay." Roman said with a smile and Seth tried not to be blinded by Roman's beautiful smile.

The rest of the afternoon was spent introducing Roman around. Just as Seth thought Roman was well liked by everyone and no one even mentioned his Chimerism. Seth was so happy he practically skipped home, Roman was one step closer to joining the pack officially. He had noticed that Roman was quiet on the short walk back to the pack house and he started to worry.

"So..." he started. "That wasn't so bad was it? Everyone seemed nice."

"They were." Roman said quietly. "But what if they were just because we were together? What if they change when I'm alone?"

"I don't think they will, but if they do mistreat you, you have to tell me okay?" Seth said reaching over for Roman's hand. "I don't want you living here if people are hurting you and you're miserable. I want you to be happy."

"I promise I'll tell you if things change." Roman said, squeezing his hand. "I'll try to be more optimistic about this, after all nothing bad has happened since I've been here."

A loud roar sounded from the woods and they both jumped as a large brown bear burst through the trees. The bear shifted into an equally large man with brown hair.

"Who's this?" the man asked with a sneer. "The new freak we're supposed to be nice to?"

Seth stepped forward, eyes flashing with anger. "Why do you have to be such an ass all the time, Kevin? Would it kill you to be a nice, decent person for once in your life?"

"What's the matter, Sethie?" Kevin asked with a smirk. "I didn't call you a freak, I was talking to the freak next to you."

Seth snarled as he felt the overwhelming need to protect Roman. He walked forward, fists clenched and ready to fight when he felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him back.

"It's okay Seth, no need to get upset." Roman said, pulling him back further. "After all he's right, I am a freak."

"Get out of here Kevin." Seth growled. "I know you're hurting right now but you have no right to take it out on Roman. He's not the one that made Sami leave."

Hurt flashed in Kevin's eyes before he shifted forms and ran back into the woods. Seth shook his head sadly and turned back to look at Roman.

"You're not a freak." He said softly. "It makes me sad to know that you feel that way about yourself. One day, I'll make you believe in yourself like I believe in you." Seth went up on his tiptoes and put his arms around Roman's shoulders and hugged him fiercely. He would help Roman be happy if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Roman lay in his bed later that night and thought back over the day. Everyone had been really nice except that Kevin guy but no one looked at him like they were disgusted and other than a first introductory sniff, they didn't smell him too much. Maybe this could work, maybe he could be happy here.

Maybe he could be happy if he would only get Seth off his mind. Seth was so nice-too nice. He wasn't used to people being nice to him and trying to take care of him. Every time Seth hugged him, (which he was also unused to) he would be so happy and his wolf would run around excitedly yipping. It would be so easy to fall for him. Could he really live here knowing that he was falling for someone he couldn't have? Could he watch Seth find a mate and settle down and raise a family? More so, could he go back home to his lonely cabin knowing that the man he had feelings for was living here? What would be worse, watching Seth live a life that he couldn't join in or never seeing Seth again?

* * *

Days passed and everything went as Seth predicted. Roman was accepted into the pack with open arms (or paws as it were) and he was flourishing. The young pups were drawn to him the most and would beg him for stories or rides on his shoulders and while it would annoy most other adults, Roman loved it and played with all the pups until they were too tired to play anymore. He volunteered his time anywhere it was needed but it was obvious that he loved working in the communal garden the most and he became fast friends with Naomi.

Much to the joy of everyone in the pack house, Roman would often cook delicious things for everyone to eat, pancakes, freshly caught fish, stews, every kind of meat they had, and he even baked. He surprised Seth one day with pies made from the apples that grew on the trees of their special place and Seth had hugged him tightly and smiled until his face hurt.

Seth and Roman continued to get closer and became the best of friends though each wanted more, they were both basically happy. The only thing Seth wasn't happy about was how popular Roman had become. Seth had known that Roman would be liked and accepted, but he wasn't prepared for the amount of interest that Roman would get from almost all of the un-mated wolves in the pack. His only relief was that Roman seemed completely oblivious to the interest but Seth still worried that someone would take Roman away from him and then he would get angry with himself because Roman wasn't his to take.


	8. Chapter 8

Roman had been splitting firewood for an hour before Seth had the urge to go and see him. It was ridiculous how attached he felt to Roman in the short time they knew each other, but he didn't like it when Roman was out of his sight for even a few hours.

He poured two large glasses of lemonade and walked out the front door, hoping Roman was ready to take a break. Something in him just couldn't relax until he saw Roman with his own two eyes.

He walked around the corner of the house and almost dropped both glasses on the ground. Roman was chopping wood like he was supposed to, but he was shirtless, his muscles bulging as he took powerful swings with the axe. His body was glistening with sweat and all Seth wanted to do was push Roman down on the ground and fuck him until they both passed out.

He looked passed Roman and saw a group of omegas were staring at Roman with rapt attention and he growled a bit under his breath. They couldn't have Roman.

* * *

Roman swung the axe harder, his frustration over Seth guiding his actions as he worked up a good sweat. Why couldn't he be a normal omega, or why couldn't Seth be? Why couldn't they be together? He'd asked for so little in his life so why couldn't he have the one thing he wanted? He swung the axe harder and sliced through the block of wood easily even going into he piece underneath it. He stopped and sighed. He was surprised he didn't break the axe. He sniffed the air and could smell the overwhelming scent of arousal. He looked around and saw Seth standing nearby looking in his direction. He turned and looked behind him and saw a group of omegas in the seating area.

Roman sighed again. It figures that Seth would like one of those perfect omegas but he wondered which one it was. Probably the pretty blonde boy that was always primping in front of the mirror.

He jumped when he felt something cold touch his bare arm.

"You look like you could use a break." Seth said as he gave Roman a cold glass of Lemonade.

"Thanks." He said before moving over to a log and sitting down.

Seth sat down next to him with a glass of his own and he took a sip. He really wished that Seth wouldn't sit next to him right now. Seth smelled great on a normal day, but when he was turned on, he smelled amazing and Roman wanted nothing more than to snuggle up with Seth and kiss him. He sighed again.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked curiously.

"Nothing really." He said watching a droplet of water slide down his glass. "Just not feeling myself today, I guess."

Seth was quiet for a moment. "It's a nice day, why don't we go fishing when you're done. We can relax and maybe catch some dinner."

He thought about it and thought it was a good idea. "Sure, I only have one log to chop and we can go."

"Great." Seth smiled. "I'll go get our fishing poles and maybe some of your cookies if there are any left and meet you back out here."

"Can you bring me another shirt to wear while you're there?" he asked, passing his empty glass to Seth. "Tyler accidentally spilled his drink all over me earlier and I don't want to wear it."

"Sure." Seth said with a funny look on his face. "I'll be right back."

* * *

An accident? Yeah right! Tyler just wants to get his perfectly manicured hands on Roman. Well he could think again, because it was time for Seth to take action. He stomped angrily up to his room and went to his dresser and dug around, pulling out an over-sized t-shirt with the logo of his favorite band. The shirt was too big for him, so he wore it to sleep in, but it looked like it would fit Roman. If Roman asked, he'd just fib. For good measure he rubbed the shirt on his neck transferring more of his scent to it so everyone would know that Roman was taken... though he wasn't, really.

He didn't stop to think about what he was doing, he just threw the shirt over his shoulder and went back to the kitchen to pack a basket with snacks. As he passed the window when he went for the fishing gear, he saw Roman toweling his sweat off while, Sasha, Bailey, Chad and Tyler looked on practically drooling and he raced out the door and handed Roman his t-shirt.

Roman raised his eyebrow but accepted the shirt and pulled it over his head and just like he thought, the shirt fit perfectly. He smiled inwardly and his wolf barked in happiness as Roman was now covered in his scent and all the wolves would smell Seth all over Roman now. He had just marked Roman as his own, at least temporarily.

* * *

Roman followed Seth down the path to the lake. He loved the fact that he was wearing Seth's soft shirt. Every time he moved, he could smell Seth all over himself, almost like Seth was claiming him. He knew that that wasn't the case but he wished that it was; Seth was so sweet and would make a wonderful mate... but for someone else.

They sat under some shady trees and cast out their fishing lines and waited.

"I hope you don't mind about the shirt." Seth said after a while. "I didn't want to invade your privacy and go into your room without you there so I just grabbed one of mine. I figured you'd rather wear one of mine than my Dad or Daves."

Even though he knew that Seth had a practical reason for giving him his shirt, it still hurt him to hear it. "Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to smell like Dave, he smells bad."

Seth laughed. "He does, doesn't he."

Seth lay down on his back and closed his eyes. Roman couldn't help but watch him lay there, he was so cute and sexy and if he could, Roman would look at him all day. His hair was up in a bun, but it was always a little frizzy and made him look cute and boyish, and the clothes Seth preferred to wear were always tight in the best places. His biceps bulged as they rested behind his head and his jeans were stretched tight across his hips and thighs showing off just the right amount of bulge. Honestly Roman was torn between wanting to beg Seth to take him, and wanting to climb on top of him and ravage him all night long. Roman just sat there and looked over the lake, those thoughts wouldn't do him any good.


	9. Chapter 9

When Seth came downstairs the next morning, Roman was nowhere to be found and his father's office door was closed. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were together and whatever they were doing was private. If he didn't know that his father was crazy in love with his mother, he would be a little worried.

The door finally opened and Roman came out. He turned and saw Seth sitting on the couch staring at the door and walked over. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

Seth got up and smiled. "Sure."

They walked, through some silent agreement, to their special place and Roman stood a few feet away from Seth.

"I just wanted to say goodbye." Roman said quietly.

Seth paled and grabbed Roman's hand. "What do you mean, 'goodbye'."

Roman looked torn. "I have to leave in a few minutes."

"Why?" Seth asked in confusion. "The month isn't over yet. Is it my Dad? Is he making you leave?"

"No. Your Dad's been great." Roman sighed. "It's my fault I have to leave, but I'll be back in about 5 to 7 days."

Seth shook his head. "Why?"

Roman hung his head in shame. "I started my heat cycle this morning, I can't stay."

"Wait." Seth said looking puzzled. "Heat? Does that mean that you can..."

"Get pregnant?" Roman supplied. "Yes, I can, so I have to leave as soon as possible."

"So he's taking you to the Omega Cabin." Seth said slowly. "Is that why you're staying so far away from me?"

"Yeah." Roman said sheepishly. "I'm starting to smell and I don't want it to bother you."

"The way you smell doesn't bother me Roman." Seth said and he tried to pull Roman into a hug to prove it but Roman stopped it.

"I gotta go pack." Roman said pushing past him.

The second Roman passed him, he could smell the heat. He'd been around other omegas at the beginning of their cycles and it never affected him, but this... this was incredible and irresistible. As soon as he smelled Roman his dick got hard and it took everything he had not to turn and pounce on him.

Roman walked quickly back to the house and Seth sat down, trying to stop himself from going after him. He sat for 5 minutes and not a second longer, he didn't want to miss seeing Roman one last time. He got up and walked back to the house just in time to see his Dad pull the truck up to the house and Roman walk out with a backpack.

Hunter got out of the truck and stood between Seth and Roman, he ushered Roman into the passenger seat and when Seth saw his hand on Roman's arm, he saw red and growled in warning.

Hunter shut the door behind Roman and walked to Seth. "Snap out of it, he's not yours."

Seth watched as Hunter got in the driver's seat and started the truck and drove away. Seth saw Roman looking at him and he lifted his hand and waved. Roman waved back.

* * *

Seth moped around the house all day missing Roman and when it was time to go to sleep, he couldn't. He knew that single omegas had a hard time going through a heat on their own and he hoped that Roman was okay. He was also worried because the Omega Cabin was isolated and no one but omegas in the pack and his father knew where it was but what if another alpha smelled Roman and forced himself on him.

He was sorely tempted to go out into the night and find the cabin and guard it but then he remembered the way Roman smelled and he knew that the scent and pheromones would only increase as the heat went on and what if he couldn't handle it? What if he went crazy with lust and forced himself on Roman, he could never live with himself. So he stayed in bed and let his mind wander.

He knew that omegas in heat craved sex with an alpha and locked themselves away if they didn't have a mate and tried to satisfy their urges themselves. He wondered what Roman was doing now. Was he touching himself? Seth groaned and slid his hand into his boxers and stroked himself slowly. Were Roman's fingers wrapped around his own dick or were his fingers buried deeply inside himself, pumping in and out? Seth tightened his grip as he worked his own hard shaft. What was Roman thinking about? Was he thinking about Seth too? Not likely but the thought had Seth spilling into his own hand and calling out Roman's name.

* * *

The week passed slowly for Seth, he was quiet and moody and after a few days, everyone knew it was best to avoid him. He missed Roman so bad that it felt like a physical ache in his heart that wouldn't go away. Finally on the sixth day he saw Roman walking down the driveway with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Seth saw him out the window and flew out the door, running as fast as he could. They met in the middle of the drive and Seth threw his arms around Roman, hugged him tight and without thinking about it, kissed him on the cheek.

"It's good to see you too." Roman said chuckling as his arms raised for the hug. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

Seth shook his head but didn't let go of him. Roman tried to dis-tangle his arms so they could walk back to the house but Seth held him in an iron grip and wouldn't let him go.

Roman sighed and picked Seth up off the ground and Seth wrapped his legs around his middle. Roman walked down the drive and left his backpack on the porch before walking to their special place. Seth was quiet the whole time and just rested his head on Roman's shoulder as he walked. Roman walked to the shady apple tree and sat down with is back against it and Seth in his lap. He stroked his hand down Seth's back and closed his eyes. He had missed Seth terribly while he was away and it seemed like maybe Seth had missed him too.

"Are you okay?" Seth whispered.

"I'm not the one wrapped around you like a spider monkey." Roman replied with a smile. "Why would you think I wasn't."

"I know that heats are really difficult to go through alone and I was worried about you, is that so wrong?" Seth asked in a pouty tone.

Roman rubbed Seth's back softly and felt Seth relax and snuggle into him. "It's not wrong but it does feel weird to have someone worry about me after being alone for so long. In some ways the heat was harder than usual, but in other ways it was easier, especially knowing I was safe in that cabin and no alphas other than your father know where it is."

"I was worried that someone would find you there, even though I know it's safe." Seth said, burying his head deeper into Roman's shoulder. "More than a few times I had to talk myself out of finding that cabin and keeping guard so you would be safe."

Roman gulped audibly. "I'm glad you didn't, it wouldn't have been safe for you."

"For me... why?" Seth asked peeking up with his big brown eyes.

Roman sighed. "I have alpha strength, remember? I was lust-crazed and I could have forced myself on you without a moment's thought. I'm sorry but you wouldn't have been able to fight me off."

Seth bristled. "I have alpha strength too, I'm stronger than you think."

"I wasn't implying that you're weak, Seth." Roman said. "Just that I would have done anything to have you in that moment and you would have been hesitant to hurt me because you're a nice guy."

"Sorry, I just have a thing about people thinking I'm weak." Seth said sheepishly as he finally let go of Roman and sat across from him. "Did I ever tell you that Stephanie isn't my biological mother?"

"No." Roman answered slowly already feeling the loss of Seth in his arms. "I didn't know that."

"My mother's name was Joanie and she was a female alpha. She was so strong, maybe even stronger than my Dad." Seth said quietly.

"Female alpha's are rare." Roman said. "I've never even met one."

"She was killed protecting the pack when I was four and a few years later, Dad married Stephanie and she loved me like I was her own." Seth took a moment before continuing. "The reason I'm telling you this is because she was so strong and my father is so strong but look at me, I'm small and I always worry that I can't live up to their legacy, that people think I'm weak. I even worry about you when you say I'm nice, cute, adorable and stuff, that you think I'm weak."

"I don't think you're weak, Seth." Roman said grabbing Seth's hand and squeezing. "Because of what I am, I tend to see people the way humans do and you've showed me nothing but kindness and friendship ever since I met you. The first moment we met you've accepted me for me, not my biology and I think that's how we should see each other from now on, as ourselves, not alpha or omega."

"You're right." Seth said nodding. "I see you as an alpha and I know you see yourself as more omega so we should just be ourselves together and not worry about biology."

"That being said, I would totally beat you in a fight." Roman said, grinning.

Seth scoffed. "No way."

"It would be close, but I would beat you." Roman goaded.

"Would not." Seth pouted.

"Would too." Roman grinned wider.


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the month passed and it was time to officially welcome Roman into the pack. A ceremony and party was planned for the full moon and everyone was excited. They met at the village hall at sundown and gathered in a large circle.

Hunter stood in the center of the circle. "We have gathered here today to welcome a new member into the pack, into our family."

A chorus of cheers rose from the crowd.

"Who sponsors this man for membership?"

Seth stepped forward into the circle. "I do."

"Very well." Hunter continued. "Is there anyone here who objects to Roman joining the pack?"

Only silence and the crickets responded to Hunter's question.

"Roman step forward."

Roman stepped into the circle with Seth and Hunter.

"Do you promise to treat this pack as your family. To love and protect the pack to the best of your ability and contribute your time and care to us for the rest of your life?"

"I do, whole-heartedly." Roman said, eyes shining with emotion.

Hunter smiled. "Then we welcome you into the pack, brother."

Seth jumped on him and hugged him tight and Roman smiled a smile of pure joy. He had a family again.

Hunter cleared his throat and Seth let him go. "Roman, you and I will shift and tell the moon of our joy and our pack, our family, may join us."

Hunter and Roman took off their clothes and folded them neatly before shifting into their wolf forms. Hunter's huge blonde wolf was joined by Roman's black one and they raised their heads and howled long, their voices becoming one in a song of happiness. The rest of the pack took the cue to disrobe and join in, everyone's howls joining the harmony.

When the howls died down Hunter took off running and everyone followed. They hunted, chased, frolicked and played with each other like a family of wolves would. Seth kept a watchful eye on Roman, not even knowing why since Roman was safe with the pack but he still worried.

Seth watched as Roman took down a large buck and the pack howled out their approval and everyone shared in the kill. Seth trod up to Roman and licked his muzzle clean of the blood and Roman nuzzled him back in appreciation. Seth didn't even care who saw their actions, Roman was pack now and he was going to be as affectionate with Roman as he could.

When everyone had tired themselves out running and playing, they ran back to the village hall and ate and drank their fill of the special meal they had prepared and the huge cake they had made to welcome Roman. It was a special night for Roman and he was proud that he had found a pack that was so giving.

Seth finished his piece of cake and decided that it was time to talk to his Dad about something that he had been thinking about for a while.

Hunter had just finished talking with Becky and Seth walked over now that he was alone.

"Dad, can we talk somewhere more private?" Seth asked nervously.

"Sure son." Hunter said and he lead the way out a little ways into the woods. "What's on your mind?"

Seth couldn't meet his father's eyes. "How did you know when you found your mate?"

Hunter smiled because he knew this was coming. "Well, your mother was such a capable alpha and I was worried that she would take my place as the future alpha so I went up to her and started saying all this stupid stuff and trying to prove my superiority and she punched me in the face as hard as she could."

Seth stared at him with his mouth hanging open.

"You have to remember that I was still a teenager at the time and was a complete jerk to her but the second her fist hit my face, I felt a shock go through my wolf and I lay on the ground holding my jaw and said 'You're my mate.'" Hunter smiled softly, reminiscing. "She looked down at me and gave me the sweetest smile and said, 'I know' and the rest was history.

Hunter put his arm around Seth and squeezed his shoulder.

"I miss her." Seth said quietly.

"Me too, son but I know she would be as proud of you as I am." Hunter said.

"What about Stephanie?" Seth asked.

"In Stephanie's case, we had known each other for a long time but a few years after your mother died, we were sitting at the bedside of a sick elder and she refused to leave. She was exhausted and I touched her hand to get her attention and I felt that same shock go through my wolf and I just knew. We looked at each other and I could tell that she knew it too." Hunter said. "I'm guessing from the questions that you think you've found your mate."

"I thought so but I never felt anything like that happen with us. I guess I was wrong." Seth said sadly.

Hunter was quiet a moment. "You can still be together if you love each other, it doesn't have to be a true mating. Lots of couples come together just because they fall in love, you don't have to wait for destiny."

"I want a true mating." Tears started falling from Seth's eyes. "I guess we weren't meant to be together after all."

* * *

Roman sat by the bonfire. His face was sore from smiling all night but he hadn't seen Seth in hours and he missed him. He looked around and finally spotted him talking to Finn over by the food tables. He got out of his chair and went over to them just as Finn left.

"There you are." He said and Seth turned around and looked at him. Seth smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, in fact, he looked a little sad. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Seth said quickly. "Just a little tired I guess. So, how do you feel being an official member of the pack?"

"Great." Roman said, totally unconvinced of Seth's answer to the question but not wanting to push him. "All this is because of you. I have a family again because of you."

He looked out the corner of his eye and saw Dave nearby. For the last few weeks Roman had noticed him looking at Seth in a way alphas weren't supposed to look at other alphas and it was starting to piss him off. He turned and saw Dave leering at Seth with a predatory look and Roman growled a warning without even thinking.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked, looking around.

"I thought I saw something in the woods, sorry." He said lamely.

* * *

Seth spent the next few days trying very unsuccessfully to avoid Roman. Now that he knew for sure that they weren't mates, he couldn't stand the pain of being near Roman and knowing that they couldn't be together. Roman made it impossible to avoid him though because until they found a house for Roman, he was still living in the pack house and in the room next to Seths. They also managed to show up at the same places at the same time and Seth almost thought that it was a conspiracy. Roman was also more touchy and affectionate now that he was officially a member of the pack and would always sweep Seth up into big, warm hugs.

Seth was hiding out in his room one day when there was a knock on the door. He got off the bed and opened the door to Roman and his father.

"Hey guys, what's up?" He asked casually, trying not to make eye contact with Roman.

"I have a job for you." Hunter said pushing his way past Seth and sitting in the only chair in the room.

Seth gestured Roman in and closed the door. He led the way to the bed and they both sat down facing Hunter.

Hunter leaned back in his chair. "I want you two to go check out the north woods. One of the local farmers said that he found some of his livestock killed and I want to make sure that it was an animal, not a shifter. I want you to hike to the Thompson farm and investigate."

"Wouldn't it be faster if we drive?" Seth asked, hoping to avoid spending too much time alone with Roman. "We'll save a few days that way."

"No, I want the woods checked for any signs of rogues wolves." Hunter said calmly. "We need to know if there is a threat to us or the humans around us."

"Okay." Seth replied with a sigh. "If we hurry we could be back in three days."

"Take your time." Hunter said with a smile. "You could show Roman around a bit and I know how much you love to camp, just be back in a week so Steph doesn't worry."


	11. Chapter 11

Seth and Roman started out early the next morning loaded down with sleeping bags, and enough food and water to last them a few days. The weather forecast was clear and warm for the week and they started out on their impromptu trip. Roman tried talking to him, but after a few hours of one word answers, gave up and walked in silence. They spent the first night warmed by a roaring fire and sleeping under the stars. The morning was cold and drizzly but they walked on, hoping the weather would clear. By late afternoon, they had hit a downpour and were both soaked through and Seth was not looking forward to spending the night cold and miserable.

Roman stopped in his tracks. "This is ridiculous! Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Seth asked, trembling in his wet clothes.

"To the Omega Cabin. I know that you're not allowed to know where it is but we are not going to freeze out here tonight." Roman said determinedly. "Look at you, you're shivering."

"I'm not going to argue, let's go." Seth told him.

Roman reached out and held his hand and immediately warmth spread through his almost numb fingers and he smiled gratefully at Roman as they started walking.

The woods were denser around the Omega Cabin and it took them half an hour to get there. The front door was unlocked and they quickly went in out of the rain. Seth looked around. It was a large cabin with a huge bed taking up a lot of the room. There was two dressers, a fireplace, kitchenette and washing machine and dryer. He could also see a large bathroom through an open door.

"Take your clothes off." Roman said, hands pulling at his backpack.

"What?" Seth asked, surprised.

"Your clothes are wet, I'll put them in the dryer while you take a hot shower." Roman said pulling his soggy shirt over his head. "By the time you get out, I'll have the fire going."

"Sounds good." Seth said struggling out of his soaked backpack and his clothes.

Seth hurried to the bathroom so he wouldn't be around naked Roman for long.

* * *

Roman shivered as he stacked wood in the fireplace. His stupid pride kept him from showing Seth how cold he really was and he moved to get the fire going as fast as he could. When the fire was finally going, he unpacked their backpacks and put all their wet clothes in the dryer. He put all their salvageable food in the kitchen and anything else that needed to be dried out was placed near the fire. The bathroom door opened and Seth came out, still naked and Roman went into one of the dressers in the room and pulled out a blanket for Seth to wrap up in. Seth took it, wrapped up in it and sat down on the rug in front of the fire.

Roman went into the bathroom for a quick hot shower. He wanted to confront Seth about why he was suddenly avoiding him and not talking to him, but he didn't know how to bring it up. He wondered what he could have done wrong since their relationship had been so good until the night of the party. Maybe Seth really didn't want him to be part of the pack anymore. He finished his shower up and went back into the main room, pleased that it felt much warmer in there now and he got his own blanket out, wrapped it around himself and sat next to Seth on the rug.

They warmed up and dried out and eventually Seth let his head drop on Roman's shoulder. Roman thought that Seth had fallen asleep and was startled when Seth spoke.

"I'm sorry I've been a jerk to you for the last week.." Seth said softly.

"That's okay, I know I've been too clingy since we met." Roman said quietly. "You're entitled to time on your own."

"I've just been thinking a lot... about you." Seth said, turning his head to look at Roman. "Make love to me."

"What!?" Roman practically shouted.

"Only if you feel something for me." Seth said quickly. "I want to feel you inside me."

"Seth..." Roman started before Seth's hand came up and rested on his cheek. Seth pulled his face down to his and kissed him slowly and gently. Roman broke the unexpected but lovely kiss. "Are you sure?"

Seth lay back on the rug and opened his blanket, exposing his body to Roman and the firelight. "Yes, I'm sure."

Roman groaned and leaned down to take Seth's mouth. They just kissed for a long time, each becoming acquainted with their unique taste and feel. For the moment it was enough, just laying against each other and kissing, until it wasn't anymore. Eventually hands started wandering, groping, fingers tracing and teasing, lips following invisible patterns on each other's warm skin.

Seth gasped when Roman picked him up off the floor and put him on the soft bed, chasing him down and licking and nipping little bites and kisses into Seth's neck, making him whimper and mewl.

Roman reached over into the nightstand for the lube even though they didn't need it yet but he needed a moment to think, a moment for Seth to think and stop this if he wasn't ready but when he turned back to Seth, Seth pulled him down and kissed him hard. He ran his fingers through Seth's fuzzy curls and gave Seth everything he had, everything he had been holding back, all of his love.

* * *

Seth didn't know what was happening, how things had gotten to this point. He didn't even know why he had asked Roman to make love to him. It was something he had thought of many times in the last week but he was glad he had asked. He had never felt anything like this before. Never had kisses been so explosive, touches had never felt so branding and when Roman nipped at his neck again his eyes rolled back in his head, he told himself to stop thinking. This was what he wanted.

He saw the doubt in Roman's eyes when he opened the lube, but he leaned up and kissed Roman again and Roman nodded once quickly and slicked up his fingers. He opened his legs wide and when Roman's fingers ghosted over his entrance, his entire body started tingling and his hard cock started leaking.

He breathed in sharply when Roman's finger finally slid into him and... it wasn't bad. He had done this to men before but he had never dared to touch himself there thinking it would make him less of an alpha but he didn't really care about that anymore. This was Roman touching him, moving inside him, adding another finger and scissoring them. This was Roman, his Roman, his love, his mate.

* * *

Roman watched Seth taking his fingers, watched for signs of fear or distress and he never saw any, in fact when the second finger entered him, he thought he saw... pleasure. He crooked his fingers, searching for that little spot inside Seth and when he hit it he was sure Seth was enjoying this. A weight fell off of Roman's shoulders and he eased a third finger into that tiny eager hole and Seth arched off the bed when he grazed his fingers over his prostate again.

Seth moaned out his name and Roman beamed down at him and his fingers coaxed Seth to do it again. God, how he wanted Seth, he reacted so purely and honestly to everything and when Seth clenched his inner muscles, Roman couldn't wait any longer. He pulled his fingers out and Seth whimpered but he needed his hand to slick himself up so he did and he hurried his fingers back to Seth's hole and gently pulled him open with his thumbs and blew on him there causing Seth to cry out and his hole to clench madly around nothing but air.

"Please." Seth whimpered. "Don't tease, I need you so much."

Roman slowly guided his cock to Seth's hole and started to push in. He saw Seth wince and knew that the stretch would burn, but that it would go away in time. He moved so slowly that it was almost driving him crazy. Seth's heat and tightness was maddening but so right, so perfect and when he was fully inside Seth, he stopped and caught his breath. He stayed that way, not moving, giving Seth all the time he needed to get used to the intrusion until he felt Seth moving a little experimentally and he knew it was time to start moving.

He took Seth gently, wanting his first time to be nothing but pleasant until Seth wrapped his legs around his waist and started meeting his thrusts. Then it became too much for his wolf and he started thrusting harder and faster and Seth gasped and groaned, going along for the ride and meeting his thrusts.

It wasn't long before Seth wrapped his fingers around his cock and started pumping it, but Roman batted his hand away with a growl and replaced it with one of his own-he wanted all of Seth's pleasure to come from him. He started thrusting harder and Seth's entire body went tight and he came all over himself, his hole milking Roman's orgasm right out of him. Roman howled as he came and he looked down into Seth's flushed and dazed face wondering if this would be the only time this happened. He prayed that it wasn't.

* * *

Seth woke up the next morning wrapped cozily in Roman's arms and a soft quilt. He didn't remember much after his orgasm, he had been too weak and well-fucked that he'd fallen asleep quickly. He wiggled his butt a little and found only a dull soreness there, but he didn't mind because it made him think of Roman. He let Roman take him last night. He let Roman take him and he still felt like himself, he was still an alpha, nothing had changed. He smiled to himself and turned around in Roman's arms and nuzzled into his neck. Roman smelled like him and that made him smile against the soft skin. Everyone would know that they were together at least until they showered again and then he would just have to make Roman smell like him again, over and over.

Roman blinked his eyes open prettily. Why does Roman have to be so handsome first thing in the morning? A little sex-tossed hair looked amazing on him and just reminded Seth that he probably looked terrible. How did other guys deal with having a beautiful mate, didn't they feel self-conscious?

"God, you're beautiful in the morning." Roman said, squeezing him tightly. Seth blushed and felt thankful that Roman was such a romantic.

"You're the beautiful one." Seth said, pecking Roman on the lips.

"So...breakfast or round 2?" Roman asked with a smirk.


	12. Chapter 12

If you had told Seth that he would be on his knees with a man lazily thrusting into him from behind a few months ago, he would have told you that you were crazy. If you would have told him that he would be moving back to meet those thrusts while whimpering and moaning like a bitch in heat, he would have gotten really pissed. If you had told him that he would be leaning back into the man's chest while the man embraced him around his middle and started thrusting harder, he would have hit you. If you had told him that the mans lips grazing THAT spot on his neck, the mating spot would make him shiver and wish the man would bite him there, he would have kicked your ass, but that was exactly what was happening at the moment.

They were both on their knees in the messy bed, making love for the third time and Seth was in heaven. They were upright and pressed chest to back and Roman was going far too slow for Seth's liking but it felt so good that Seth didn't want to speed up yet.

"Oh god, Roman." he whimpered. "Kiss me please." he turned his head to give Roman access to his mouth and Roman kissed him until he was dizzy. He had never felt such all-consuming passion in his life and he felt like he was going to go up in flames at any minute. Roman picked up his pace and Seth moaned and fisted his length matching Roman's pace but Roman pulled his hands away and put them up on the headboard.

"I need..." Seth gasped as Roman slammed into his prostate.

"I know what you need baby." Roman whispered into his ear. "But you have to wait for me."

Seth bit his lip and nodded, grabbing the headboard in a white-knuckled grip as he gave himself over to the pleasure Roman was giving him. He waited as long as he could, as long as his body could hold out until he shuddered and yelled out Roman's name as he came all over the headboard. Vaguely he felt Roman tense and howl as he came in Seth's tight body.

Seth collapsed onto the bed, gasping at the intense pleasure he was still feeling. Was sex supposed to feel this good because if it was, he had definitely been doing it wrong. Roman lay on his stomach next to him and looked at him with a lazy smile and Seth smiled back.

He thought back over this morning's events and his smile grew wider. After they had woke up, Seth gave Roman the best blow-job he had ever given and then Roman had made them an incredible breakfast. They had been in the middle of cleaning up the cabin when Roman pounced on him and they started making love again. It seemed that neither one could get enough of the other and thankfully they both had alpha stamina so they could recover quickly and be together again.

Seth turned to put his arm around Roman and he noticed long scratches and dried blood coating them and sat up in alarm. "Roman, your back!"

Roman looked over his shoulder at his back. "It's okay, they're only scratches. They'll heal."

Seth sat up and clutched the blanket around himself. "But when did you get them?"

"Those are from round two." Roman grinned cheekily. "You got a little wild while I was pounding you."

Seth gasped. "I don't even remember doing that, I'm so sorry I hurt you."

Roman scoffed. "Those are the best kind of scratches, they mean I made you feel good so I don't mind them."

"Well I mind." Seth said crossing his arms over his chest, causing the blanket around him to fall. "I don't want to hurt you. Get out of this bed right now and shift."

Roman rolled his eyes, got out of bed and walked to the door. "Well, are you coming or not?"

Seth scrambled out of bed and quickly joined Roman. He was worried that Roman wouldn't shift and run without him and he was feeling guilty for hurting Roman. Roman was precious and knowing he had hurt him was killing Seth.

They walked out the door and the sun was shining and there was little evidence of yesterday's rain but the clean fresh scent of the forest. They shifted and ran and Seth's wolf was so sad that it hurt their mate that Seth lagged behind and made sure Roman healed. Roman slowed down to a trot and nudged Seth's ribs when he caught up but Seth was in no mood to play. Roman stepped in front of him and nuzzled Seth's face to try and make him feel better and Seth nuzzled him back.

They curled up on the forest floor together under a large shady tree that reminded Seth of their special place. Seth knew Roman didn't care about the scratches but Seth felt like he had failed as an alpha, failed to protect his mate. Even now, Roman was the one curled around him and offering his comfort when he should be the one comforting Roman. Seth whined. He was a terrible alpha and he didn't think that he was worthy of Roman. Roman nudged him and licked his face over and over again but it didn't help. Seth dis-tangled himself from Roman and trotted slowly back to the cabin and Roman followed.

He shifted as soon as he got back to the cabin and was promptly lifted off his feet and smothered in kisses. He struggled half-heartedly to avoid the kisses but he soon gave in, kissing Roman back fiercely. Roman carried him backwards to the bed and pushed him down on his back and Seth moaned when Roman wrapped his big hand around both their shafts and started stroking.

"I'm not a delicate flower that needs to be protected." Roman said, jerking them both off with a calmness Seth didn't feel. "I'm an alpha and a few little scratches from my lover will do me no harm."

Seth whimpered as Roman tightened his fingers around them.

"I know that you're sorry and you apologized and I'll accept your apology to make you feel better, but in my mind you did nothing wrong." Roman continued as he started stroking faster. "I'm sure you've left bruises or scratches on your other lovers in the past and it didn't mean anything and that's the way it is now too. I hope I always drive you wild in bed."

Roman tightened his grip again and smirked as Seth moaned.

"Please, Roman..." Seth begged.

"Say you understand and we'll drop this whole subject." Roman said, moving his hand faster.

"I-I understand." Seth gasped out and Roman leaned down to take his lips again in a fierce kiss. Seconds later they came all over each other and Seth sighed. "I'm sorry I freaked out."

"It's okay." Roman said rolling off Seth. "If you really hurt me I would tell you so let's drop it and go back to normal, okay?"

"Okay." Seth said pecking Roman on the lips.

* * *

They cleaned up the cabin and repacked their backpacks and continued on with their mission. The tension from the previous days was gone and they held hands and walked through the forest talking and laughing. Nights were spent in front of the fire cuddling inside their sleeping bags that were zipped together and Roman was truly happy for the first time in his life.

They never forgot their mission though and their senses were on high alert for shifters and animals but the forest was clear of anyone that shouldn't be there. They periodically went for runs in their wolf forms, playing and chasing each other like pups.

They were walking with Roman's arm around Seth's shoulder. "So, when was your first kiss?"

Seth laughed. "I was 10 and I had a crush on this girl I went to school with. I kissed her at recess and she started crying and she told the teacher on me. They called my parents and I got a lecture from them and detention from the school. What about you?"

Roman smiled. "I was 12 and my friend Charlotte and I decided to kiss just to see what all the fuss was about. Her Dad caught us and threw a huge fit and my parents had to try and calm him down. We kind of drifted apart after that."

"First time having sex?" Seth asked. "Mine was with this girl that used to be in the pack, Renee. It was awkward and I realized that girls are pretty to look at and fun to talk to, but I was much more interested in guys. It all turned out for the best though, she mated with my friend Dean and they're off living in the desert somewhere. They come back a few times a year."

Roman looked at him with eyes filled with pain. "My first time was when I was 17. One of Anderson-Kennedy's friends told me that we were mates. I was thrilled to finally have a mate so I agreed to have sex with him before we were officially mated. It turned out to just be a bet whether or not he could trick the freak into bed with him. I was the laughing stock of the pack after that but I was relieved I didn't end up pregnant. I've never let another man top me since that day but since I've only been with humans, it doesn't really matter anymore."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you." Seth said, pulling Roman into his arms. "But I'm glad that you managed to escape that pack. I won't let someone hurt you like that ever again." Roman hugged him tightly and they melted into a warm, deep kiss.

* * *

They investigated the Thompson farm and realized that ordinary foxes were responsible for the animal attacks and headed home. Their mini vacation was coming to an end and they had never talked about their night of passion. Seth didn't want any misunderstandings about their relationship so he broached the subject on the last day, close to home.

"Roman, we need to talk about us." Seth said suddenly.

"Okay." Roman answered quickly. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I like being with you, and I want us to keep doing what we're doing." Seth said slowly.

"Great." Roman said, squeezing his hand.

"But ..." Seth took a deep breath. "We can't get too serious. If I ever find my mate, we'll have to call it off."

"So what, you want to be friends with benefits?" Roman said, dropping his hand. "What do you mean, if you find your mate, I'm your mate."

"I'm sorry, Roman but I haven't felt the mating pull with you." Seth said quietly. This wasn't going like he planned.

"You're just like him, playing with my feelings and now that you've got what you want, you break my heart." Roman shouted, chest heaving. "Stay the hell away from me Seth, we're finished."

"Roman, please." Seth said as Roman dropped his pack and shifted. Roman didn't even look at him as he ran off into the forest alone. "Don't go."

* * *

Roman ran and ran and collapsed in a heap under a tree. He howled his pain to the world until he couldn't anymore and then he shifted back to his human form, wrapped his arms around his knees and cried until he couldn't cry anymore. Why couldn't anyone love him? Didn't he deserve love like everyone else? This hurt so much more than when he was 17, at least then he hadn't been in love but now, he loved Seth with his whole heart and when he had felt the mating pull, he had been thrilled. Now Seth was denying him and only wanted sex. He couldn't handle it, his heart hurt too much.

He shifted and ran back to the pack house, beating Seth home.

* * *

 _ ***I've gotten some comments that the story is dragging on a little too much and to be honest, that was what I was worried about. Don't worry, the story is going to start speeding up next chapter.**_


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days were miserable for Seth. Roman refused to talk to him and he wouldn't even look at him. Worst of all, Roman asked to move out and they gave Roman a beautiful house of his own.

Roman moved all of his stuff out of the pack house and went back to his shack to get the rest of his things. Seth wanted to go with him but his father sensed that something had happened between them and asked him to give Roman some time so Becky and Naomi went with him instead.

He was walking to Roman's new house, hoping to wait until Roman got back when he was struck with an intense pain in the back of his head and darkness overwhelmed him.

Roman, Becky and Naomi were almost back to the village when the peaceful forest was rocked by a huge explosion. They dropped everything and shifted, running through the forest as fast as they could. They got back to see chaos as the meeting hall was completely leveled and smoldering and a nearby house was on fire. Everyone was frantically running around and trying to put out the fire, Roman went around looking for any injured people but luckily no one seemed injured. They managed to put the fire out but when they checked, Seth, Linda and Dave were missing.

* * *

Roman paced back and forth in the pack house. Since the meeting hall had been destroyed, they were using it as a command center as people searched for Seth, Linda, and Dave. The only traces of their scents were hours old and it was official, they weren't anywhere in the village. They had triple checked, but there was no trace of them where the bomb was either.

Stephanie was the last to see her mother who had gone to her room to take a nap. Randy was the last to see Dave after breakfast and Aiden had seen Seth walking around the village. Everything was moving so slowly for Roman that he decided to do a little investigating of his own and he went to check out Seth's room. Everything looked normal but he stopped to pick up one of Seth's shirts and brought it to his nose. He was so worried about Seth and the scent on his shirt calmed him down and made him miss him even more.

He went to Linda's room, remembering that Stephanie said she was going to nap. On first glance, everything looked normal until he saw a tiny red spot on the comforter. Blood. He shouted for Hunter, not wanting to believe whose blood it was but Hunter confirmed it-it was Dave's blood. They looked closer and saw a shred of fabric that also belonged to Dave and under the bed they found a bottle of chloroform.

Stephanie was scared but she was trying to hide it as Hunter searched Dave's room. Hunter came back with a pair of silver shackles. Silver, the only metal that could hold a shifter. Roman grew more scared when he saw the shackles and he went into Dave's room himself. His fear increased when he saw an empty envelope addressed to Dave. He recognized the handwriting.

* * *

Seth woke up with a groan and tried to rub his face but he was hit with something metal when he did. He opened his eyes and saw that his hands were shackled together. He tried to break the chain but realized that it was silver and that meant that he couldn't shift either. He looked around him and saw that he was in a dark, dingy, cold room with no windows. There was no hope of escape with the silver blocking his shifting abilities, he needed his shifter strength. The smell in the room was so terrible that he didn't even realize that he wasn't alone in the room until he heard a weak cough. He looked over in the direction of the cough and saw a lump of rags on the floor on the other side of the room. Steeling himself, he went over and moved the threadbare blanket and gasped at the figure huddled on the cold floor-Sami!

* * *

Roman rushed out of the room with the envelope and slammed it down on the table in front of Hunter and Stephanie. "It's Vince. Vince has our family."

Hunter rose out of his chair. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Roman said with a sneer. "I'd know that handwriting anywhere."

Stephanie looked at them with determination in her eyes. "Then I guess this means we're going to war."

"There's no time for that." Hunter said. "There's no telling what Vince has planned, we need to go now and take our best fighters. The rest can get better organized and follow us."

"Should we send word to the Carter pack, they have a lot of strong fighters?" Randy asked.

"No, they have enough going on in their pack right now." Hunter said. "They're kind of loose cannons anyway."

"I'm going with you." Roman growled out. "I know the area and the people. You need me."

"Yes we do." Hunter said. "Your strength will come in handy. Stephanie you stay here and get things ready. Randy, Roman, Kevin, Cesaro, the Wyatts and Big E and I will all go in the first wave."

"Do you really think Kofi will let Big E go with Xavier pregnant?" Stephanie asked.

"Unfortunately, they don't get a choice this time." Hunter said seriously. "I need our best fighters if we're going to pull this off."

"Are we going to overthrow Vince or just get our people back?" Roman asked.

"Why do you ask?" Hunter said.

"Because I may know some people that are willing to help get rid of Vince."


	14. Chapter 14

"Sami!" Seth said as he gently shook the shoulder of the thin man on the floor. "Wake up, Sami." Seth was worried. Sami was so thin and cold. He'd left the pack 6 months ago, had he been here all this time?

Sami slowly blinked his eyes open and it looked like it was a struggle to do that. "Seth?" A small voice whispered. "Are you really here?"

"Yes, I'm here. What's happened to you?" Seth asked as he tried to gently help Sami sit up. He could see more now and it was painfully clear that Sami had been beaten and starved for quite some time. He was also wearing silver shackles but it was likely that he would be too weak to shift anyway.

"After Kevin and I had our last fight, I decided to go clear my head and go camping for a week. Some guys found me one night and slapped these shackles on me and started beating me, I woke up in this room and I haven't left since." Sami said and tears started falling down his cheeks. "I don't even know how long I've been here."

Seth held his hand. "It's been 6 months."

Sami took in a shaky breath. "Kevin must think I left him."

"I'm sorry, but yes he does." Seth answered.

"He must hate me." Sami said putting his head in his hands.

"Of course he doesn't." Seth said putting his arm around Sami. "He loves you so much and he's been miserable since you've been gone. He's going to be so happy to have you back."

"He won't be getting me back." Sami said glumly. "We'll never get out of here alive."

"Yes we will." Seth said determinedly. "My father will come for us and so will my mate. Whoever did this grabbed the wrong person this time. I promise that we'll be home soon."

* * *

A few terrible days later, Seth was wishing that he hadn't made that promise to Sami. Everyday he would get a beating from his father's long time friend Dave and a large brute of a man named Brock. They were fed only once a day, just enough to keep them alive and they were kept in the small, cold dungeon room. Seth didn't give up hope that he would be rescued but he could tell that Sami had. The Sami he had known had been a sweet, happy, outgoing Red Fox shifter that always had a smile on his face, but this Sami was quiet, withdrawn and frightened and when they held each other for warmth at night, Sami would cry himself to sleep and whimper Kevin's name.

Seth prayed that they would be saved soon because he feared for Sami. He tried to distract himself from his pain and fear by thinking about Roman. He didn't care that they weren't a true mating anymore, when he got out of this, he would tell Roman that he loved him and properly mate with him. He would make sure that Roman never felt unloved ever again, because it was true Seth loved Roman with all his heart and he always would.

Sami started struggling in his sleep and Seth tried to calm him down but he jolted awake as if from a bad dream.

"Seth?" Sami whispered.

"I'm here." Seth replied.

"Could you talk to me for a while?"

"Sure, what do you want me to talk about?" Seth asked.

"You said that you have a mate now, who is it?" Sami asked quietly.

Seth smiled, he was always willing to talk about Roman. "His name is Roman and he is so beautiful and kind and smart and funny and sweet…" He trailed off when he was Sami grinning, yeah he was kind of rambling. "He's from a really cruel pack that treated him badly but he saved my life and I asked him to join the pack. He's perfect but he can be really self-conscious because he's half alpha and half omega but… I love him so much and even though we're not true mates, I will love him until the day I die."

"Did you know that Kevin tried to deny the fact that we were mates for years?" Sami asked, hugging his knees. "He said that it didn't count because we were shifted when we felt the mating pull. We were play wrestling and of course he was letting me win and I pinned him down and our noses touched and I felt this… shock go through me. I looked at him and I could tell he felt it too but he got mad and stormed off and refused to talk to me. It took a while but I finally managed to convince him that we were meant to be."

"I've never heard of anyone feeling the pull in their animal forms." Seth said, thinking out loud. "The first time I actually saw Roman, he was in his wolf form and I was in my human form, he licked my cheek and I felt a shock go through me and the next thing I knew, I was in my wolf form."

"You see," Sami said excitedly. "You and Roman really are true mates, you're meant to be."

Seth started feeling excited. Was it really true? Were he and Roman fated to be together? Roman said that he had felt the mating pull but Seth hadn't even thought to ask when he had felt it. If Roman believed that they were mates then nothing in the world would stop him from finding them, they just had to hang on a little longer.

* * *

It took them 3 days to reach the McMahon pack lands. They were three of the longest days of Roman's life and he just wanted to run in there and get his Seth back but he knew that they needed to be cautious and follow the plan. They waited until the night of the third day before approaching the houses. It seemed that mother nature was on their side because it had rained so everyone rubbed mud and leaves on themselves to help mask their scents. Roman and Hunter crept to the house that was full of people that Roman knew he could trust-his family.

Roman took a deep breath as they passed a window and the smell of his mother's cooking brought a tear to his eye. He chanced looking in the window and saw his parents, along with his twin cousins, Jimmy and Jey and he smiled to himself, knowing that his family would help.

He gestured for Hunter to stay back and he boldly knocked on the door.

* * *

Seth was awoken by a sharp kick to his side. He sat up quickly and grabbed his side, biting his lip to keep from crying out in pain. Dave smirked down at him evilly and Seth wanted nothing more than to tear his head off. Dave laughed as if he knew exactly what Seth was thinking and grabbed him by the arm and dragged him toward the door.

Seth tried to get to his feet as he was dragged down the hall, but the starvation was making him dizzy and his body hurt so bad from all the beatings. Finally Dave stopped at the end of the hall, opened the door and threw Seth to the floor. Seth groaned and tried to rise to his feet. If this was how it ended, he wanted to die on his feet fighting like an alpha.


	15. Chapter 15

"He's my mate Mom, I have to save him." Roman said angrily.

"I know but you don't need to fight Vince to do it." His mother pleaded tearfully. "Just grab him and leave the fighting to Hunter and his men.

"I can't do that." Roman sighed. "They're my pack now and I made a promise to take care of them, all of them. I'm a strong fighter they need me."

It was his mother's turn to sigh. "I know, but I just got you back. I don't want to risk losing you again."

Roman hugged his mother tightly. "We'll win, I know it."

Suddenly the door burst open and Naomi rushed in. "The patrol just passed Vince's house, it's time."

Everyone started moving, grabbing anything that could be useful in their mission except Jimmy who was frozen in place staring at the panther shifter. Naomi stared back until Hunter passed her a pack filled with supplies.

They headed out and went to meet the rest of the pack. They then went to Vince's house and everyone took up positions around the large house and looked for any places they might be able to enter.

* * *

Seth rocked back on his heels from Dave's vicious backhand but he didn't fall. "Why are you doing this Dave?"

"Because you are my reward for a job well done." Dave said as he reached forward and shredded Seth's shirt with his claws. "Your father is an idiot and Vince is a far better alpha than he is."

"Vince?" Seth asked, incredulously. "You betrayed us for that monster? You know how he treated Roman."

"He treated Roman the way he deserved to be treated." Dave said, following Seth's retreating form. "The weak have no place in a strong pack, which is exactly why Vince told me I could have you."

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, trying to back further away.

"You're weak, you have no right to be an alpha, let alone Hunter's heir." Dave barked angrily. "I'm going to take you and make you my bitch, then you won't be an alpha anymore."

Seth tried not to let his fear show as he stepped forward. "You're too late. Roman already had me and I'm still an alpha."

Dave sneered. "You let that freak inside you? You're even worse than I thought."

"He's a better man and a better alpha than you could ever be." Seth yelled.

"As soon as I'm done with you, I'll kill your little boyfriend." Dave said as he grabbed Seth by the neck. "Now you get to feel what an alpha is truly like."

Dave slammed Seth's head down on the table and as he was reeling from the pain, Dave turned him around and bent him over the table. Seth felt his clothes being torn off and wanted to cry. He thought about his precious Roman and how much he wanted to get back to him and he desperately threw his elbow back and caught Dave right in the face.

Dave growled and spun Seth around, placing his hands around his throat and squeezing. Seth began choking and his vision started going black. _I love you Roman._

The sound of glass breaking drew Dave's attention and the pressure eased off Seth's throat and he collapsed to the floor coughing. He could hear chaos around him but he couldn't look up at what was happening. He lay there coughing and gasping for breath until everything went silent.

"Seth. Seth." He heard Roman's voice calling and he finally looked up.

"Roman!" Seth looked up into the beautiful face of his love and and he started crying. "I knew you would find me."

"Are you okay?" Roman asked, dropping down to his knees in front Seth.

Seth ignored the question, there was something more important that he had to say. "I love you Roman."

The concern on Roman's face turned to relief. "I love you too." They wrapped their arms around each other until they heard the door open.

"Get up lovebirds, we don't have time for this." Kevin said as he looked at them with a snarky expression.

"Seth, you're so cold." Roman said and he took off his shirt and helped Seth put it on. "We've got to get you out of here."

Roman helped him to his feet and he took a few shaky steps before falling and Roman picked him up and carried him instead.

"Kevin, I'm so glad you're here." Seth said, reaching out to the bear shifter. "Sami's here, they kidnapped him and he's really hurt."

The cocky look left Kevin's face immediately. "Where?"

"The room at the end of the hall." Seth said quietly. The adrenaline was wearing off and he could hardly keep his eyes open.

"I have to get Seth out of here, will you be okay on your own?" Roman asked worriedly.

"Yes, believe me anyone that crosses my path is a dead man." Kevin growled before running off down the hall.

* * *

Roman carried Seth to the front of the house where Naomi and his mother were waiting.

"Oh Seth," Naomi cried. "Let me get those shackles off you."

Roman put Seth down on the ground and Naomi used the heavy duty bolt cutters to free him of the silver shackles and the door burst open and Kevin came out carrying Sami in his arms.

"Sami! Oh my god Sami!" Naomi, ran over to Kevin and helped them both sit with Sami cradled in Kevin's arms. She removed Sami's shackles and gave him a bottle of water.

Sami drank slowly and when he was done he touched Kevin's face gently. "I never thought I would see you again, mon amour."

Tears streamed down Kevin's face. "I missed you so much. I promise that I will never fight with you again."

Sami smiled. "We fight, we love, it's who we are."

"Seth, I need you to stay here with my mother while I go in there and help your Dad." Roman said after quickly hugging Seth. "He'll need all the help he can get."

"I'll come with you." Seth said, trying to stand.

"No. Baby you're too weak right now." Roman said helping Seth to sit down again. "Kevin, stay here and take care of our mates and wait for my Dad and cousins to get Linda."

"Okay, I don't want to leave Sami's side." Kevin said softly, still staring at Sami. "Are you sure you don't need me?"

"I'm sure, especially if we can get Shane on our side." Roman dropped a kiss on Seth's forehead before running back into the house.


	16. Chapter 16

Seth watched Roman run back into the house and fear gripped his heart. His pack was in there fighting a war and he wanted to go in there and help but he knew that he was in no condition to help. He had been trying to shift ever since they left the house but he was too weak at the moment so he couldn't heal himself. He looked at the beautiful older lady that was Roman's mother as she wrapped him up in a blanket and gave him food and water. She seemed as worried as Seth was and he tried to smile and thank her and she gave him a hug.

He turned to look at Sami and Kevin and he had never seen such tenderness and love on Kevin's face before, and he finally realized how lost he had been when Sami was gone.

A few minutes later three large men came around the corner leading a frightened looking Linda. One look at the three men and Seth knew that they were Roman's family.

"Grandma!" Seth cried. "Are you okay?"

Linda sank down on the ground next to Seth and they held each other tightly. "Yes, I'm okay. How about you?"

"I'll be okay." Seth told her. "But Dad and Roman are in there fighting Vince and his cronies."

The older of the three men crouched down and patted Seth's head. "Don't worry little alpha Roman's strong and smart. They'll win this war, especially with us there to back them up. Come on boys."

The shorter of the two men elbowed the taller one that was staring at Naomi and all three men went into the house.

* * *

Roman looked around. Fighting was happening all over both in human form and were forms but they had finally made it to Vince's throne room. Vince was there as well as his sons Shane and Anderson-Kennedy and his lieutenants Brock and Ryback. They were currently outnumbered with only Hunter, Randy, and Roman making it this far. They didn't wait long, they tried to gain the upper hand by being the first to attack. Hunter went for Ryback, Randy went for Anderson-Kennedy and Roman went for Shane. If he could convince Shane to switch sides, they could even out the odds.

They locked up and started fighting. "Shane please, you have to join us. I know that you hate the way your father runs the pack."

Shane growled. "How could I betray this pack, my brother and my father."

"They're not your only family." Roman grunted as Shane punched him in the stomach. "You have a mother and a sister in the Helmsley pack. Linda loves you and wants you back."

"My mother is dead!" Shane yelled as he tried to get his hands around Roman's throat.

"No she's not." Roman said as he punched Shane in the face. "Your father abused her so she faked her death, she was pregnant and scared."

Shane dropped his fists and turned around to face his father. "Is my mother still alive?"

"Yes." Vince replied in his gravely voice. "The bitch stole my child and faked her death. She's lucky I didn't find out sooner or they would both be dead."

A scream of rage burst from Shane's throat and he lept at his father. Brock tried to get in the way but Roman tackled him to the ground and started punching his face repeatedly.

He focused all of his attention solely on the large man underneath him. The man was large and powerful but slow as they wrestled around on the floor. Roman dodged Brock's claws and they passed near his throat but not close enough to hurt him. Roman's own claws came out and he charged at Brock but Brock managed to grab him and throw him down on his back. Roman gasped for breath and tried to get up. As he got to his feet he watched in horror as Brock started to change into something that looked like a real-life werewolf like in movies. Roman didn't know if he should shift too, he wasn't sure he could take this monster down. Brock hunkered down and ran at him and pinned him against the wall punching and shoving his knees into Roman's ribs. Roman tried to shove him off but he could feel his ribs cracking. Desperate, he shifted and sunk his teeth into Brock's neck trying to tear his jugular out and Brock roared and threw him away. He lay on the floor panting but each breath hurt his damaged ribs and as he looked up, he saw Brock stalking over to him.

Roman shifted back into his human form, knowing that Brock would underestimate him and he got to his feet holding his ribs. Brock stopped and smirked at him and Roman took off in a run. He ran and lept at Brock with a closed fist and Brock's smirk never left his face. At the last second, Roman opened his fist and slashed his claws across Brock's neck, severing his jugular. Brock slumped to the floor, bleeding heavily. Roman watched the life drain out of him to make sure he couldn't hurt anyone else.

He turned his attention back to the fight just in time to see Shane rip his father's throat out.

* * *

Seth couldn't take his eyes off the door, praying that it would open and his mate and his father would come out healthy and whole. They had been joined by the McMahon pack and everyone was waiting anxiously to see the results of the battle raging inside those walls. When the door did open members of his pack that he didn't even know were there came staggering out some shifted, some bloody and some naked but all intact and victorious. The twins and Roman's father came out last and Naomi ran to the taller twin and hugged him hard and Roman's mother embraced his father and came back to where Seth was sitting.

Seth got to his feet and started pacing with worry. Finally the door opened for the last time and everyone walked out more or less unhurt. Seth ran to Roman and threw his arms around him and felt Roman weakly hug him back.

"Is it over?" he asked Roman quietly.

"Yes, it is." Roman said, gently brushing back Seth's hair. "Shane's the alpha now, Vince is dead."

They watched as Shane walked somberly down the steps and greeted the shifters both from the McMahon and Helmsley packs assembled. "I'm sorry for the things my father and his supporters have done to your pack and to ours. You can rest easy now because he is dead and I will run this pack the right way. No one has to live in fear anymore."

The crowd cheered and Linda hopped to her feet and ran to Shane with tears in her eyes.

"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked Shane sadly.

Shane smiled fondly at her. "Of course, you did what you had to do to save my sister." Shane held his mother in his arms as she cried happy tears at being reunited with her son again.

Hunter walked over to Seth and Roman and patted them both on the shoulders. "You both did good today. I hope you two finally work out how you feel about each other, life's too short to have regrets."

Seth smiled at his father and held Roman's hand. "I know now that Roman is my mate and I'll happily be his forever if he'll have me."

"Of course I want to be with you." Roman said, squeezing his hand. "I've loved you since the first time I saw you."

"Me too." Seth said before going up on his tip toes and kissing Roman's lips. Their kiss got a little cheer from their friends and Seth stepped away blushing.

Randy joined their little group with a glum look on his face.

"What's wrong Ran?" Hunter asked, throwing his arm around Randy's shoulders.

"You see that guy over there." Randy said gesturing with his head to a muscular man in jean shorts. "I think he's my mate."

"That's great man, I'm happy for you." Hunter said with a smile.

"Is it great?" Randy asked worriedly. "What if he is one of Vince's toughest, meanest fighters. I can't be with someone evil."

Hunter got Roman's attention. "Do you know that man?"

"No, but my parents should." Roman turned to his parents. "Do you know him?"

"Oh that's John." Roman's mother said with a smile. "He's a real sweetheart, wouldn't hurt a fly."

Roman's father nodded. "Vince kept him around because he looks big and intimidating but he's a good man."

Hunter patted Randy on the shoulder. "Go get him."

Randy turned and walked towards John and the worried look left John's face to be replaced with a dimple-showing smile.

"Well we should get everyone healed up and go home." Hunter said as he started to walk away.

Roman sighed. "I can't wait to get home."

Seth looked at Roman suddenly scared. "Which 'home' do you mean?"

Roman looked back at Seth and caressed his face. "Home is anywhere you are."

Seth threw his arms around Roman and kissed him passionately, uncaring of the playful cheers from his pack.


	17. Chapter 17

Roman couldn't believe how much had changed since the day he met Seth Rollins. He had friends, family, a pack, a home and soon a mate. He looked around the meadow where the mating ceremony was to be held and smiled. All of the Helmsley pack was there and his friends and family from the McMahon pack. He had stayed with the Helmsley pack after Shane took over, he knew that he would be accepted back, but there were too many old wounds there and besides he loved his new pack-especially Seth.

His cousin Jimmy had gotten together with Naomi and they lived in the McMahon pack lands but they still got to see each other often. Everyone was determined that the family reconnect as much as they possibly could so they talked often, thank god for modern means of communication.

Linda moved to the McMahon pack so she could reconnect with Shane and his wife and kids. Stephanie missed her but understood her reasons for going and was planning a trip to get to know her older brother and his family too. Shane was doing an excellent job running his pack and everyone there was happy, probably for the first time in very many years.

John moved to the Helmsley pack so he could be with his mate Randy and he was fitting in well with everyone. Randy was happier than he had ever been and his almost constant scowl was now gone.

Kevin and Sami were doing well and they hadn't even fought once in the month since Sami came back. Sami was healed physically and he was slowly returning to the carefree fox he used to be while Kevin was displaying levels of patience that no one would have expected from him in the past. He was determined to never lose Sami again, not even for a minute.

Roman brushed some lint off his fine black suit and waited under the towering tree for his soon to be official mate to show up for their ceremony. They had decided to have a combination wedding and mating ceremony so their union would be official even in the human world. Roman still couldn't believe that he was wanted so much and it would take some getting used to but he knew that Seth loved him just as much as he loved Seth and that was all he really needed.

Finally Seth showed up in black suit, shirt and tie with Stephanie on his arm. He looked so beautiful that Roman could almost believe that this was a dream except for the naughty wink Seth sent him that made him smile.

Hunter was conducting the ceremony after filling out all the paperwork so he could legally marry them and he stood there, chest puffed out in pride as his family walked together down the aisle of flower petals. When Seth got to Roman, they clasped hands and said the human and shifter words of love and devotion and Roman brushed away the tear on Seth's face before kissing him for the first time as husbands and mates. Then they stripped off their fancy suits, shifted into their wolf forms and howled their song of love.

They followed all of the traditions of running and hunting with the pack before going back for a more human traditional meal and wedding cake. They snuck off after the cake and went to their new home and only slightly bickered about who was going to carry who over the threshold with both of them deciding just to hold hands and walk through together. They barely made it over the threshold before they were kissing passionately and Roman then picked Seth up and carried him to the bedroom.

They stripped off their jackets, ties and shirts quickly before devouring each other's mouths again. They could barely stand to be apart from each other even long enough to take their clothes off but they managed and they didn't even break their kiss. This was a special night and Roman wanted to show Seth how much he loved and trusted him so he flipped them over so that Seth was on top and Roman spread his legs and positioned Seth's fingers there.

Seth looked at him and silently asked permission and Roman smiled and nodded. Seth kissed him fiercely and effortlessly slid a finger into him. Being an omega, Roman self-lubricated when he was turned on so it didn't take long to get him ready. When Seth finally slid into him, he cried out, not in pain but in happiness and joy and they made love long into the early morning hours each time declaring their love for one another.


	18. Epilogue

Seth walked into their home whistling. He had just got back from town with the special doughnuts that Roman was craving and hoped that he had made it in time before Roman changed his mind. Roman's pregnancy was progressing perfectly and he was happy for the most part and healthy. Roman was carrying twin pups and was a little larger than someone carrying only one so he was a little self-conscious about the way he looked. In Seth's mind Roman had never looked more beautiful, his hair was wavy and shiny and his skin practically glowed, plus the tummy was just adorable.

He walked quietly into the bedroom and saw Roman napping on the bed, hair pooled out on the pillow like a halo. Seth really didn't know how he had gotten so lucky, he had two pups coming and the perfect mate. He crept over to the bed quietly so he could get into bed with Roman. At the beginning of the pregnancy, Roman craved sex constantly and Seth was glad that he was an alpha and had the stamina to keep up with him and also glad that he liked bottoming so they could switch back and forth whenever they wanted to.

Now Roman had settled into a really affectionate state and wanted cuddles and kisses more than sex. Seth cuddled close to Roman and kissed his lips and Roman opened his eyes and smiled as Seth handed him a sweet doughnut. Seth leaned down, pulled Roman's shirt up and kissed his tummy twice, once for each baby and ran his hands over his belly and felt two answering kicks on his hands. He looked up at Roman with a smile on his face and he didn't even know how his heart could handle all the love he felt at that moment. He reached up and tangled his hand in Roman's hair and kissed him, his lips were sweet from the doughnut and Seth knew that life was going to be just as sweet from now on.

* * *

 _ ***Thank you for all the support that this story has received. This was the story that I was the most reluctant to post so it felt good that it received so many good responses. I also loved reading everyone's guesses about what was going to happen next. You guys rock!**_


End file.
